Not Just Another Fake Boyfriend Story
by SoapMaster
Summary: Sasuke Uchiha's life was never normal. Neither was Naruto Uzumaki's. But as soon as Sasuke made that proposition, things started going to hell. Warnings: mental disease, sexual assault, alcoholism, and organized crime. NaruSasuNaru with side pairings.
1. Fucking Fangirls!

**Blanket Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story. The situations and events are of my own creation, but the people and certain aspects of their world come from Masashi Kishimoto's _Naruto_.**

**Blanket Warning: This story will involve adult themes and issues. Such issues include explicit sexuality, rape, mental illness, organized crime, and death. Oh, and there's a homosexuality, so if that puts you off, you should avoid this.**

**At the start of the story, I'd like to thank everyone who has helped with this story. I've had three betas: **LoveUntilWeBleed**, **Merciless Angels Never Cry**, and **SingingSparklyKuma**, all of whom betaed different chapters for me at different times. Still, there remain many chapters that are unbetaed which I hope to have betaed in the future. I'd also like to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or subscribed to the story. Kind words help inspire me with the story, and knowing there are people waiting with baited breath for the next installment definitely lights a fire under my ass to keep working.**

Prologue:

When you're young, people assume you don't have problems. If you _do_ have problems, people assume they're trivial. While it's true that the most traumatic aspects of some people's childhood are deciding who to ask to prom, or wondering if she likes you, there are people - young people - who deal with issues and traumas well beyond those minor annoyances. Sasuke was one of those people.

When his parents died, no one batted an eye. People supported the Uchiha orphans, of course. Their parents' friends made sure that, after the funeral, Sasuke and Itachi had enough homemade food to last a month. Sasuke's godfather moved into the spacious Uchiha mansion to supervise his charges. Their uncle checked in on them every now and again, and made sure that they never wanted for anything. But life moves on, and as sad as it is, tragedies happen all the time.

In time, people forgot. Well, maybe _forget_ isn't the right word. But they all assumed that the Uchiha orphans were okay. They were cared for, and as time passes, the tragedies of the past get more bearable - even if only marginally so.

Sasuke was young - even by today's standards - when he got "mixed up with a bad group of kids," as his godfather had put it. But even after he was forbidden from seeing them, he continued the worrying behavior. He'd developed a fondness for alcohol, which for a twelve year old was very disturbing. What was even more disturbing was how resourceful Sasuke was when it came to procuring a bottle. Disturbing enough to have his godfather declare him an alcoholic, send him to therapy, and threaten rehab.

As Sasuke got older and entered high school, things had improved considerably. When his brother Itachi had turned 18, Sasuke's godfather moved out and allowed Itachi to watch over his brother. Sasuke made friends and focused on his schoolwork, and the pain - while it never went away - faded. Finally, it reached the point where Sasuke's biggest problems were the trivial ones.

Chapter One: Fucking Fangirls!

Sasuke Uchiha wasn't in a very good mood this morning, although that's hardly unusual. He's not exactly what one would call a "morning person", and he's certainly not what one would call a "people person". So of course, when he is forced to spend time with people in the morning, he's going to be miserable.

It didn't improve things that he was being mobbed by about three or four girls at the moment. If there was any particular type of person he loathed more than any other, it would be girls, or at least the ones around here. He couldn't go anywhere without some fangirl following him, whether he was in class, at home, or using the fucking _bathroom_!

Sasuke hated mornings, people, and fan girls. And wouldn't you know that going to school daily involved all three of those.

He didn't dislike school because of the schoolwork, though, which is probably unusual. If he wasn't cursed with good looks, he'd actually be the definition of a geek. He likes his physics class, and his calculus class is the height of his day. He enjoys history, and even his English class is interesting. So it's not really the _schoolwork_ that gives him his distaste for school at all.

Mostly, he dislikes the _people_ at the school, and, more importantly, how much free time some of these girls have on their hands. They must be cutting class to pester him, because they're around him nearly 24/7. At this very moment, he was being surrounded by six of his fangirls who wanted nothing more than for him to realize that he was madly in love with them. Ha! As if!

"Get your hand off Sasuke!" one of them – a girl with orange hair and really weird glasses – said to the others. "He's going to get mad if you keep trying to tear us apart.

"Shut _up_ Sasame!" another one, a girl with black hair and blue eyes, said to the first one. "I saw him first, and we all know that it was love at first sight with Sasuke." She looked at her crush with hearts almost visible in her eyes. He rolled his own eyes in response.

"Yeah, he fell in love…with _me_," exclaimed a redheaded girl with red glasses and red eyes. "Just admit Sasuke belongs with me and leave us alone!" Another girl was about to protest, but Sasuke seemed to have had enough. One of them was trying to grope him as he walked down the lunch line getting food, and the others were trying to pet him like a dog. _Why the fuck does this happen to me? There have to be better looking guys at this school than me!_

"Will you get OFF me?" he yelled at the top of his lungs, startling everybody in the room. Suddenly, Sasuke felt all eyes on him as the fangirls quieted and watched their idol like an erupting volcano.

"Look what you _did_ Tsure," the redhead muttered. "You got him all mad!"

Sasuke ignored her, choosing instead to take his tray the table his friends were sitting at. If he stayed, he'd probably end up in prison for murder. Those girls are the most annoying human beings he'd ever seen! Especially when they squeal. Whose idea was it to bestow vocal chords to the female gender?

He had to wonder what's wrong with them. Every day, they all hound him like sharks smelling blood in the water, and every day he tells them to fuck off or go to hell or leave him the fuck alone. But do they get the picture? Of course not. Why would they leave him alone just because he tells them daily that he has no desire to be anywhere near them? That would be logical, and if there's anything a fangirl is lacking, it's logic.

It seemed these fangirls got rowdier and rowdier every day, and Sasuke was at a loss about what to do. They'd already managed to get past the privacy block on his facebook, find out his e-mail address and phone number, and even found out where he _lives_. Did celebrities have this much trouble with fans? He sighed and continued walking towards his table, angrily throwing down his tray as he approached.

"Fan girls again?" asked Sasuke's friend, Neji, when Sasuke sat down across from him. Neji was the first friend Sasuke ever made, and, although they weren't _best_ friends, Neji had always been there for Sasuke. Even after the fan girls trampled Neji in the mall just to get to Sasuke, Neji didn't care much. He just learned to never stand between a fangirl and the object of her obsession.

Neji was probably the one person in the school richer than him. Not that it was Neji's money, of course – it was all his father's. Hiashi Hyuga owned Hyuga Corp, a corporate conglomerate in the same vein as Viacom, Proctor & Gamble, or General Electric. If Neji's father wasn't a billionaire, he was certainly a millionaire, although the subject of money rarely came up between them.

Neji's cousin, Hinata, sat next to him. Hinata Hyuga might have been the shiest person Sasuke ever met, and that suited him just fine. The shier a girl was, the less likely she would turn out to be a rabid fan girl. In fact, she might be the one girl that never went crazy over him. She had a slight crush on him for a while, but she was never bold enough to accost Sasuke like his other fangirls.

On Neji's other side was his girlfriend, Tenten. The two had been close friends since they were in karate together in middle school, and they had grown closer since high school started. She and Neji had started officially going out last year, and ever since then, the two had been inseparable. Tenten was shy to really open up and become friends with the whole group, but now she was very pleasant and outgoing.

Sasuke sat down next to Gaara, who was much quieter than Neji, Hinata, and Tenten. He wasn't shy like Hinata was, but he didn't really speak unless he had reason to. He's pretty easy to talk to, though. Gaara was the closest Sasuke came to a best friend, mostly because he and Gaara had so much in common, including their distaste for loud, obnoxious, clingy fan girls.

On Gaara's other side was Sakura Haruno, an attractive, smart girl with pink hair. She's another one of the few girls Sasuke doesn't constantly want to throw off a skyscraper. She had been a fangirl throughout elementary and middle school, but around sophomore year, she decided to cool down. She eventually became friends with them due to her friendship with Hinata.

"I wish I could just do something to make them go away," Sasuke grumbled as he ate his pasta. "Is it too much to ask for a little peace and quiet for the last semester of high school?"

"You know what you need to do," Sakura began, sounding as if she had a piece of sagely wisdom she was going to impart on him. Heh, as if. Every idea she came up with for this problem was ridiculous. Sasuke raised his eyebrow in response, waiting to hear what brilliant suggestion the ex-fangirl had to deter his current ones. "You need to just go out with someone and they'll leave you alone." He sighed. She'd already suggested that, and it was still not going to happen.

"Yeah, because it's _that_ easy," Tenten said sarcastically. "There are only three girls who aren't in love with him, and we're sitting at this table." Sakura waved the dismissal away with her hand. She always got like this whenever an idea of hers was shut down.

"It's better than nothing," Sakura said. She got quiet for a bit, but spoke up once more with another plan of action that was equally flawed. "You could always pretend to be gay, and then they'd have to leave you alone. Not even _they_ could be so delusional as to believe that they'd stand a chance with a gay guy." That idea received a ton of eye rolling from the table, and a pointed glare from Sasuke in her direction.

It wasn't that she suggested ruining his reputation or flipping his life upside down that had upset him, because he really didn't give a flying fuck about that. He would really have no problem doing that if it wasn't for one small little issue. He _is_ gay. Only Sakura and Gaara know about it, and they both know that Sasuke wants to keep it a secret as long as possible. Neji and Hinata came from a very old-fashioned, conservative family, and he didn't know how they'd react. And then there was his brother, although Itachi probably wouldn't care – he never really cared about Sasuke all that much.

"I'm not gay," Sasuke said, mostly for the benefit of Neji and Hinata, the words accompanied by a pointed glare that said 'ixnay on the aygay in front of the ejinay and inatahay'.

"Does it really matter?" Sakura asked, unfazed by the glare. "It's not like it'll really ruin your reputation – we're seniors, so no one's really going to care. It's just high school."

"I think I'll take my chances with the crazy fan girls," Sasuke replied.

"Fine," she said with a shrug. She looked over her shoulder and her eyes landed on a blond haired boy who was sitting across the room. His eyes were trained on their table, but he quickly looked away, some color on his cheeks. She smirked and turned to Hinata. "I think Naruto might have a crush on you," she whispered to her loudly enough for their entire table to ear, causing the shy girl to blush profusely. As always, Sakura's obliviousness was astounding.

"He's obviously staring at you," Sasuke said with a scoff. He'd caught Naruto staring at Sakura before, but it didn't really matter. Sakura had eyes for only one guy in the entire school, and he was sitting at the table, holding hands with his girlfriend underneath the table. Poor girl. She turned around once more to look at Naruto, who was now eating his food and focusing on his own friends.

"He _is_ pretty hot, I guess," she said as she turned around. "There's no doubt about that, right, Sasuke?" Sasuke sent her another pointed look, which seemed to be enough to make her shut up.

"If he's so hot, then why am _I_ the one with fangirls?" the Uchiha grumbled, still trying to figure out a way out of the current situation. He knew that even if he took Sakura's suggestion to come out, it wouldn't work. The fangirls would be blinded by illusions of turning him straight. If anything, it'll make them want Sasuke more. You know, the whole adage about wanting what we can't have.

Before the conversation could go any further, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Sasuke's next class was history, which he had with Hinata and Sakura. There were other kids in the class, of course, but Sasuke didn't really care about any of them. The only one who actually made an impression on him was this kid who was too lazy to show up to class most days but still got straight A's. He's the reason why Sasuke is going to be salutatorian and not valedictorian.

Their teacher, Iruka one of the nicest teachers in the whole school. He let anyone get away with almost anything, and a lot of people walked over him like a doormat. His complacent attitude actually backfired when it came to Sasuke, because that meant that he let the fangirls sit next to the poor Uchiha and talk to him the _entire_ class. Sasuke liked to show up late most days so that he could sit in a spot that has no open seats around it. If he went early, the girls would all sit near him, and he'd start contemplating ways to kill them all again.

As Sasuke walked, he heard a fangirl shriek his name, and he winced at the sheer volume. Was this the mating call of the wild fangirl? Sasuke turned to see which fangirl it was, starting to get randomly angry at the whole situation. They must be of another species – one that lacked common sense and social skills.

"Sasuke-kun!" said the red haired fangirl who had been bothering him at lunch. He vaguely recognized her as having harassed him in history class, and he sighed. "I was wondering if you wanted to sit next to me in history today," she offered, flipping her hair in a flirtatious manner. Sasuke rolled his eyes and grunted a response that was supposed to sound like 'no', but must have ended up sounding like 'Sure, and afterwards we can go out to dinner and have sex on the beach,' if her giggling meant anything.

Sasuke decided he had to be explicit with them, as they would take anything that wasn't flat out rejection as encouragement, and the last thing he needed to do was encourage them. He shuddered just thinking about that. "I'm already sitting next to somebody else."

"Aw," she said, pouting. If there was anything worse than the shrieking and squealing, it had to be the coy pouts that were meant to look cute. It had to be a girl thing because they all did it any time he turned them down. "Please, Sa-su-ke-kun?" Oh, he _really_ hated that. He couldn't go a day without someone 'playfully' annunciating every single syllable of his name. He wondered – not for the first time – if the fact that she was annoying could make it justifiable homicide. Because quite frankly, he felt quite inclined to push her down the stairs.

"No," he insisted, turning away to make it to history class. Of course, she'd have to follow him to get there too, but he didn't really care. He was followed by so many girls that he was used to it. It wasn't the following that got him anymore, so much as it was the verbal and physical harassment.

He finally arrived at his history class, and he noticed that there were three seats. Two of them were next to each other, and he knew that if he sat at either one, that girl (Koren or Keisha or something…he didn't really remember) would take the other one, and he'd be forced to kill either her or himself. The third seat was in the back and was situated between the school genius who showed up for once and Naruto. Sighing, he walked towards the and sat down as the bell rang.

"It's time for your quarterly assignments," Iruka said. "For this project, you will be in pairs that _I_ choose." A chorus of 'awws' were heard through the classroom. "Your assignment will be an individual research paper and a twenty minute presentation in class on a historical figure of your choice."

Iruka-sensei opened his mouth to continue, but stopped when he saw Naruto raise his hand. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his scarred nose before speaking. "No, Naruto. Ichigo Kurosaki is _not_ a historical figure." His unasked question having been answered, Naruto lowered his hand, a small giggle erupting through the classroom.

"Now, I am going to start assigning the partners," Iruka said. "Aburame Shino and Akimichi Choji." Sasuke spaced out, choosing to wait until he heard his name to pay attention. Until then, he was going to try and think about how to solve hisfangirl problems.

In theory, both of Sakura's ideas were good. Getting a girl to pretend to date him would logically make the fangirls give up, as would coming out as gay. Unfortunately, if he chose option #1, he would be hard-pressed to find a girl who wasn't annoying to go out with him. And then there was the problem that would arise should fangirls begin to threaten and harass her for dating him. As for option #2, he wasn't sure whether coming out would stop them like she hoped, or encourage them, as he feared.

Other than just massacring them all, those were the only two ideas that were even feasible. There needed to be some tweaking of one plan or the other to eliminate the flaws. Maybe find a girl who is not annoying and strong enough to defend herself. But that would only leave Sakura, and he wasn't sure whether he'd want to pretend to date her or not. That would probably be awkward. As for the other plan, coming out would be an empty gesture, and they'd all hold out hope unless he decided to date someone, and there was nobody he was even remotely interested in.

"Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto," Iruka-sensei continued, causing Sasuke to sigh in disappointment. With Naruto as his partner, he'd be doing all the work, or he'd have to really stay on top of the blond to make sure he was doing what he was supposed to. He's very energetic (see: annoying), and he's not exactly the brightest bulb in the box if you catch his drift. Still, it could be worse. He could be with Karin, or another fangirl.

"As I was saying, this assignment has multiple components," Iruka continued. "There's the research component, the presentation component, and the reflection component. You will decide with your partner on a historical figure that has helped shape America's history, and you will do extensive research on that person. You will compile the research into a research paper. Afterwards, we will have two presentations per class period, where you will each tell the class about the life and historical impact of the person you chose. Once you decide on a figure, tell me. No two groups can do the same person, and the selection will be first come, first serve. After your presentation, I want a two page reflection on your project. Tell me what you think you did well and what you think could have used improvement. If you were to grade this yourself, what would you give yourself? How would you rate your partner? What did/didn't they do that contributed in a positive/negative way to the efforts of the group?"

Sasuke began to tune out once more as the teacher went on. He began answering questions about the assignment, giving Sasuke more time to think about his problem. Continuing with his previous train of thought, the only way coming out would achieve anything would be if he decided to date someone. And since he wasn't interested in anyone, he would have to find someone to pretend to be his boyfriend, almost like a combination of Sakura's two ideas.

Sasuke stopped for a second. This train of thought had some merit. Guys, he found, were generally much less annoying than girls, and it was more unlikely that a fangirl would threaten a guy pretending to be his boyfriend than threaten a girl pretending to be his girlfriend. He slowly saw the holes in the two plans close as they meshed, but one problem still remained.

If he told Neji and Hinata that he was gay and their conservative values ruined their friendship with Sasuke, he didn't know what he'd do.

Suddenly, an idea came to him. If they react positively to him coming out, there would be no problem. If they didn't, then he could always back-track and tell them that it was all a plan to stop the fangirls. It sort of was, so it's not really a lie. It was perfect!

But who would decide to pretend to date him? Certainly not Neji, and probably not Gaara. They were too close to pretend to date, and it would be all sorts of awkward. He looked over at the boy sitting next to him, Shikamaru, and smirked. If he announced that he and Shikamaru were dating, the other boy would probably find it too bothersome to debunk rumors. It's not like he showed up enough for people to ask him questions anyway. He shook his head at the ridiculous thought, though. He did still have a reputation to uphold.

Eventually, Iruka-sensei stopped talking, and he gave the students the rest of the period to talk over the assignment with their partners. Sasuke sighed and turned to Naruto; he had to make his first priority in this project laying down the law for Naruto. He would _not_ let him get an A off of all _Sasuke's_ work while he did nothing.

"Come over to my house after school and we can start working on our project," Sasuke told Naruto, not leaving any room for discussion.

"Hi to you too," he said sarcastically. "Today's not really a good day for me, so I'll try to drop by over the weekend or something."

"No," Sasuke said, his voice authoritative. It was like training a dog – he had to show Naruto that he wasn't in control. He had to tell him that he couldn't be blasé about this. This was a serious assignment, and Sasuke wasn't doing everything for him.

"You're a pretty bossy bastard," Naruto said. "It's a wonder all the girls drool over you. They must find that stick up your ass attractive." Sasuke clenched his fists and gritted his teeth while sending the blond a glare. "You must be deaf too, because I told you I can't come."

"Why not?" Sasuke asked, daring Naruto to give him a valid excuse. "What else is more important than 10% of your grade?"

"Well, if you must know, I'm hanging out with my friends," Naruto said as if he had just spoken the magic words to make Sasuke submit to his demands. Oh, how wrong he was.

"You'll be coming over to my house afterschool," Sasuke repeated. "If you don't come, I'll just have to remember to put that in my reflection about my partner. 'We got off on the wrong foot when he decided that hanging out with his friends was more important than actually doing work.'" Naruto sent Sasuke a look that was a mixture between a glare and a pout, but Sasuke brushed it off. The bell rang, stopping the chance of Naruto saying anything more on the topic. Sasuke collected his books and walked out in the hallway towards his next class.

Psychology with Kakashi. It was the only elective he took, as it was the easiest A he could receive. After all, Kakashi always came to class 10-15 minutes late, and he was like an uncle to him. No, not like an uncle. He was like a father to the youngest Uchiha, but he wasn't forced to help him out because of his blood, he chose to. Ever since his parents died, he had been very close to Sasuke and his brother Itachi. As for the class itself, it was pretty interesting.

Most of his friends were in the class – Neji, Sakura, and Tenten. Naruto was in that class too, as were a few of his friends. The genius Shikamaru was there too, but he usually skipped or slept. And a few days after the semester began, Karin transferred in, probably to continue stalking Sasuke.

Anyway, he got in and sat in his usual seat – next to Sakura and Neji, behind Hinata. This was his favorite class, mostly because most of his friends were there.

"Hey Sasuke," Neji said as the Uchiha sat down. "How was history?"

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. "We were put in pairs for an assignment."

"Oh yeah," Sakura said, as if she forgot about it altogether. It was just five minutes ago! "Who's your partner?"

"Your favorite blond, Naruto Uzumaki," he scoffed. "Of course I got stuck with the dumbass who won't do any work."

"Of course you can get him to do work," Neji said with a smirk. "Just promise him that you'll put in a good word with Sakura if he does his assignment and he'll do it. You can have him wrapped around your finger and make him do _anything_. He'd probably do the entire assignment himself."

That's true. Sasuke never thought of it that way. If he could get Sakura to promise one single date between the two of them, Sasuke could have Naruto do whatever he wanted. Teenage guys were so easy to manipulate – all you had to do was get them a date or a hook-up with whoever they wanted. And it just so happened Naruto wanted Sasuke's friend.

"Sasuke!" yelled a voice from the back row. Recognizing it as his history partner's, the Uchiha turned to look at him. "How the hell am I supposed to know where you live?" _Oh yeah. I forgot about that,_ Sasuke said to himself.

"Just follow me in my car after school," he said with a shrug.

"I don't even know which car is yours," he said, causing the raven to roll his eyes. Seriously, was this kid fucking retarded?

"We have health together as our last class," Sasuke said angrily. "Just follow me to my car." He started to rub his temples, willing his headache to go away. It was like any time he spoke he had to be loud. Maybe Sasuke was just allergic to his loudness…could he use that as an excuse to get another partner?

"Fine!" Naruto exclaimed in an offended tone of voice. "You don't have to be an ass about it!" Sasuke growled, his increasing volume not helping his headache any. Instead of continuing to talk to him, Sasuke chose to turn his back towards him and return talking to his friends.

It ended up being one of those days when Kakashi was later than usual. After going over the homework and handing back last week's test (Sasuke got 99), there was no time left to class.

All that was left to his day was Health with Jiraya. He was the brother of the music teacher, Orochimaru, and the principal, Tsunade. He must have gotten his job because of nepotism, because hiring that pervert as a health teacher was wrong on so many levels.

"Alright class, how was your weekend?" he asked after the bell rang. No one answered him, as usual, knowing what he'd say next. "Any of you have sex?" The first day he said it, some people gaped and looked at each other. The second time he said it, it was still mortifying to some people, but entertaining to others. But he said it each and every Monday, and the shock had worn off. It was as casual as 'how's the weather' to his students by now.

"Today, we will be discussing female anatomy," he announced.

"Of course," Sasuke muttered. Every day it was the same lesson over and over again. Female anatomy again and again and again. It wasn't just Sasuke who was sick about hearing about vaginas – even the straight kids in the room were pretty fed up by this point.

"Hey Jiraya!" Naruto called from the back of the room. Sasuke sighed and put his head down. Of course Naruto would call Jiraya by his first name. He did it to everybody. All the students called the teachers by their first name outside of class, but to their face, they were always 'Mr. Sannin' or 'Mr. Umino' or 'Mr. Hatake.'

"How many times have I told you, brat?" Jiraya asked angrily. "You can't call me 'Jiraya' in class!"

"Fine, Ero-sensei," Naruto said with a grin. Jiraya was going to make an angry comment about the nickname, but Naruto continued. "When are you going to actually teach us something? We've been 'studying female anatomy' for five weeks now."

"Would you rather look at male anatomy?" Jiraya-sensei asked with a wriggle of his eyebrows, causing Naruto to hilariously blush for a moment.

"N-No!" Naruto sputtered. "But it's awkward for us to sit here while you just look at porn on the projector. I mean, jeez, you're almost as bad as Ebisu."

"Mr. Ebisu," Jiraya corrected. The two continued arguing but Sasuke tuned them out. Eventually, Jiraya got the idiot to shut up, though. The rest of the class was the boring fashion he'd always taught, putting up pictures (not diagrams, pictures) of the different sexual areas of a girl's body on the board. No new information to learn, of course, but he did it all anyway. In a way, Naruto had a point. It wasn't that Sasuke wanted to look at pictures of guys in the middle of a classroom, but constantly seeing the same pictures day after day was getting pretty fucking old.

At the sound of the final bell, Jiraya gave them his usual salute as the students exited. "Have a nice day, class. And remember – don't be silly, wrap your willy."

After school, Naruto followed Sasuke to his car, which happened to be parked near Naruto's own car. They both got in their respective cars and drove towards Sasuke's house, the raven leading the way. There was little traffic, and in less than a half hour, the two arrived at Sasuke's house. They got out of their respective cars and Sasuke made a sweeping motion with his hands.

"Welcome to the Uchiha Mansion," he said in a bored tone, deciding to show that moron how excited he was to breathe the same air as him. Sasuke's main mission as he entered the mansion was to avoid his brother Itachi, but it seemed fate had a better idea, as Itachi was coming down the stairs as he opened the door.

"Hello Sasuke," Itachi said, sounding carefree, as he climbed down the steps. "Who's your friend?" He looked Naruto up and down, as if he was appraising an art piece.

Before Naruto could answer, Sasuke spoke up. "His name's Naruto. He's going to be working with me on a project. And he's _not_ a friend."

"I'm right here," Naruto muttered as Sasuke glared at his brother. Itachi just gave his brother an evil smirk, and Sasuke knew right then that his brother would try to embarrass him. Itachi had this habit whenever Sasuke brought someone over to say or do something outrageously humiliating, and it usually worked.

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's wrist and pulled him quickly. He dragged Naruto up the stairs, past Itachi, hoping to get away before Itachi said something horrifically embarrassing. It didn't work.

"I know you're in a rush to get your boyfriend all to yourself," Itachi mused as Sasuke pushed past him, "but there's no reason to be so rude."

"B-Boyfriend?" Naruto asked, sounding as if he had just gotten the wind knocked out of him. And there it was. In his effort to avoid getting embarrassed by Itachi, Sasuke managed to give Itachi some material to use. As soon as the word 'boyfriend' left Itachi's lips, he let go of Naruto and turned back around to glare at his brother.

"Itachi," Sasuke growled warningly. "If you don't stop, I might just have to send those pictures of you at Sasori's Halloween party to the press." Itachi noticeably paled, and Sasuke wasted no time in dragging the blond up to his room and away from his brother. Sasuke knew that threat would quiet him for now, but he was likely to do something else later on.

You might be wondering what those pictures Sasuke threatened to release were of. Well, you see, most people dress _up_ for Halloween. But after a few drinks, Itachi decided to dress _down_…a lot. And then, he somehow managed to sneak into a zoo in his nude and drunken state with his friends. That would be a bad enough combination normally, and it didn't help matters that they had an electric razor. When Sasuke had to come pick them up, he'd never seen a more confused monkey. Of course, he had to take many pictures to use for blackmail. It came in handy sometimes, like that very moment.

After the door to Sasuke's bedroom closed, Sasuke threw his bag on the ground and pulled out his textbook, hoping to get a head start on the project. But first thing's first – they had to decide upon a topic for their report.

"Alright, first we have to find a figure in American history that was extremely significant," Sasuke said, already having one particular person in mind.

"How about Abraham Lincoln?" Naruto suggested, choosing to flop himself down on Sasuke's bed as the latter rolled his eyes. That was exactly what he'd expect such an idiot to say. Isn't that so cliché, choosing Abe Lincoln as a significant figure in American history?

"I was thinking more like Alexander Hamilton," Sasuke said, sending Naruto a pointed glare as he kicked his shoes off and yawned. The shoes fell off the bed and thudded on Sasuke's floor.

"Never heard of him," Naruto said after the yawn as he closed his eyes. Why didn't it surprise Sasuke that Naruto never heard of Alexander Hamilton?

"Do you ever pay attention in class?" Sasuke asked, getting annoyed at how lazy and rude Naruto was being. They'd only been in the house, like, two minutes, and he was already one of the worst guests Sasuke had ever had.

"Not often," Naruto admitted. Again, this didn't come as much of a shock to Sasuke.

"You're such a moron," the Uchiha muttered, not understanding how Naruto didn't remember Alexander Hamilton. Iruka had spent days talking about Hamilton and the federalists and the First National Bank. How could he not remember that?

"Don't call me a moron," Naruto scowled, his eyes still closed. "You're just a stuck up bastard who thinks he's hot shit because he has a fan club, when in reality he's just a big nerd."

"I'm not a nerd just because you're an idiot," Sasuke argued. "Maybe if you had even one functional brain cell, I wouldn't seem like so much smarter than you."

"You practically force me to come over to your house just to be an asshole to me?" Naruto asked. "Clearly your parents never taught you manners."

Sasuke froze up at this. Sure, Naruto probably didn't know about it, but that didn't really matter much. He didn't need another reminder that his parents died. If he paid attention to the news as much as he paid attention to class, he wouldn't have heard about the famous Uchiha car bombing, but Naruto was probably the one person in this whole city who didn't know about it.

"Where are your parents anyway?" Naruto asked, stretching and making himself comfortable on Sasuke's bed. After a couple seconds of silence, he opened his left eye and looked at the Uchiha, expecting an answer.

"They're dead," Sasuke said, his voice void of emotion. He didn't even know why he told him. It's not like Naruto knew him or vise versa. It was none of his business. But upon hearing Sasuke's words, his eyes popped open and he sat up, his feet hanging over the side of the bed.

"I-I'm sorry," Naruto said, looking down. "I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, you shouldn't have," Sasuke agreed, his mind drifting far from the assignment until he heard his bedroom door get flung open. He turned with his glare in place, ready to yell at Itachi for his intrusion, when he saw something that made him scowl. "Korin?" he asked, recognizing the girl who always stalked me.

"It's Karin," she reminded her obsession. "But you're getting closer. Last time, you called me Koko." She ran over and gave Sasuke a hug, leaving Naruto speechless as to what was going on.

"She's your girlfriend?" Naruto asked Sasuke in surprise, making him grimace and Karin hold tighter.

"Yes," she said at the exact time Sasuke yelled "No!"

"How the hell did you get in my house?" he asked, trying to free himself from her grip.

"I rang your doorbell and your brother let me in," she said simply with a shrug. "I guess your brother approves of our undying love, Sasuke-kun. We can finally be together." She pulled herself away and sat down on Sasuke's bed next to the blond idiot.

"What the hell would give you the idea that I'd _want_ to be with you?" Sasuke yelled, completely forgetting about the fact that Naruto was there. When the fangirls begin invading your house, it's time to start prioritizing. "I've done nothing short of calling you a fat, ugly bitch, and you still constantly stalk me like a fucking psychopath! Get the hell out of here!"

"B-But Sasuke-kun," she said, her lower lip trembling. Oh no, not the pouting again. "I can't leave, because if I do, Sasame and Tsure said that they'll take _their_ chance to have you, and we both know you love me, not them."

"Is she for real?" Naruto asked, but Karin and Sasuke both ignored him.

"I don't love any of you!" Sasuke exclaimed. "How delusional are you?"

"Don't say that, Sasuke-kun," she said. "You know I love you." She stood up to caress the Uchiha's cheek, but was interrupted by loud pitched squealing. Well, that's just great. In the last minute Sasuke has been graced with his two all time favorite things: high pitched squeals and pouting faces. Oh joy.

"Is that Sasuke-kun?" a girl with orange hair asked. Damn, that was that Sasame girl. And right behind her was…you guessed it…Tsure.

"Of course it is," Tsure said. "I _told_ you I could find out his address." The two started running towards Sasuke, practically jumping on top of him. He couldn't tell whether they were trying to hug him or crush him, and he wasn't sure which would be worse. Naruto continued to look on with a mixture of confusion and sick fascination evident on his face.

"Get the hell out of my house – all of you. Before I call the police!" Tsure got off him immediately at the all too usual threat, but Sasame decided to give Sasuke a kiss on the cheek before retreating from me.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Sasuke-kun," she said with a wink before leaving. The other two girls followed, ready to beat her for kissing 'their' Sasuke. Naruto then stood up from the bed and shrugged his backpack on his shoulder before walking out the bedroom door, whistling.

"Not you," he clarified, his teeth clenched. "We still have work to do."

"Why don't you just do some research on this Hamlet Alexanderson guy, and send it to me?" Naruto suggested. "I should get going anyway."

"Why don't _you_ just sit your ass down and actually pull your own weight?" Sasuke asked, anger evident in his tone of voice. Grumbling, Naruto placed his backpack on the ground and returned to his position on Sasuke's bed.

"So what was with all those girls?" Naruto asked. Sasuke sighed. Yeah, he figured Naruto would have a few questions. Damn Itachi, letting fangirls in. You'd think he'd have learned his lesson a while ago.

"It's become too common an occurrence," Sasuke muttered, his mind going back to the thoughts he had earlier of getting someone to pretend to be his boyfriend. Somehow, Itachi's words from earlier came back to him. _I know you're in a rush to get your boyfriend all to yourself_. He actually insinuated that Sasuke would have the lack of taste to date Naruto. He looked at the blond on his bed, and he immediately thought of what would happen if he had Naruto pretend to be his boyfriend. He caught himself staring and immediately tried to wipe his mind clear of all disturbing thoughts. "Anyway, we'd better get back to work."

"You do that," Naruto said, yawning. '_Oh god, I might just kill him,_' Sasuke thought_. 'Calm down, Sasuke. If he dies, you'll probably get a bad grade on the project. Plus, I'd hate to go to prison. I'd look awful in those orange jumpsuits.'_ He studied Naruto's attire for a second and realized how ironic that would be before he sat back down at the chair at his desk.

Besides, trying to find a place to bury the body would be too bothersome.

They sat doing research on Alexander Hamilton for what seemed like an excruciating amount of time. At first, 'research' involved Sasuke looking things up on his computer while Naruto 'rested his eyes.' Sasuke then tossed his textbook at Naruto's napping form and ordered him to find some information and cite it. Even though he was pulling his weight by the end of the evening, he still had to ask the definition of any word with more than five syllables. Sometimes his stupidity amazed Sasuke.

"Sasuke, what does fun-da-men-ta-li-sm mean?" he asked, sounding out the word like a fourth grader.

"Just shut up and used context clues, you moron," he told him.

"Who are you calling moron, you asshole?" he yelled back.

"Shut up," Sasuke said, rubbing his temples for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "Why do you always feel the need to be so fucking loud?"

"Why do _you_ always feel the need to be so quiet?" Naruto challenged.

"Because no one's ever bothered by someone who's too quiet," Sasuke explained, a triumphant smirk appearing after realizing that the blond had no comeback. Suddenly, Sasuke was broken from his thoughts when Itachi opened the door to his room.

"It's time for dinner," his brother said. "Naruto should stay here. There's a pretty bad storm going on." Sasuke hadn't noticed, but all he had to do was look out the window to see a torrential downpour. As if solidifying the upcoming decision, a loud clap of thunder rang out in the heavens. "I already told the cook to prepare a third dinner." He turned to Naruto. "Do you need to call your parents?"

"No," Naruto said quickly. "They won't mind."

They all walked down to the dining room and sat at the large table. It was definitely long enough to fit about twenty people with one seat at each end of the table. Usually, Sasuke sat on one and Itachi at the other, keeping much distance between them. But when they had someone else over, they would all sit close to each other like civilized people.

The cook came out with a large tray, three metallic trays on it. He placed one in front of each person at the table and removed the lids, revealing chicken parmesan. The three of them began to eat in silence until Itachi decided to open his mouth and become the asshole he was earlier.

"So, I noticed your bedroom was closed earlier, Sasuke," Itachi commented, pausing to take a sip of his water. "Were you and your boyfr…erm…I'm sorry, _Naruto_…at least using protection?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Naruto spit out the drink of water he'd just taken, and it ended up all over Itachi. Sasuke didn't feel bad for him – that's what you get for being a smug asshole. It served him right!

"Halloween," Sasuke reminded his brother, and from that moment on, the meal was conducted in complete silence. After about ten minutes, Itachi finished his food and excused himself from the table, leaving Sasuke and Naruto alone. Naruto, who seemed to have been thinking about it more, finally spoke up.

"So you really _don't_ like all this attention," he said, almost as if he didn't believe it. "You have hundreds of girls lined up willing to fuck you whenever. And you don't take advantage of it or anything. You're such a _prude._"

"I'm not a prude," Sasuke said with a scoff. "I'm just not interested in such shallow, fanatical demons. I know it might seem like heaven to someone who could never get a girl, but for someone who can have anyone he wants, it's pretty annoying."

"You're a real asshole, you know," Naruto told Sasuke. "You're just a big, egotistical jerk! If they were as annoying as you think they are, you'd do something about it."

"Believe me, I've tried," Sasuke said, not particularly wanting to continue this conversation.

Suddenly, the thoughts from earlier came back. The solution to all this fangirl nonsense was to simply get a boyfriend and come out. Of course, since he wasn't interested in anyone, he would just have to pretend to date someone.

"_Of course you can get him to do work," _Neji's words from earlier came back to him_. "Just promise him that you'll put in a good word with Sakura if he does his assignment and he'll do it. You can have him wrapped around your finger and make him do anything. He'd probably do the entire assignment himself."_

"_Were you and your boyfr…erm…I'm sorry, _Naruto_…at least using protection?"_ Itachi's voice joined Neji's.

"_He _is_ pretty hot, I guess," _Sakura's voice joined the others_. "There's no doubt about that, right, Sasuke?"_

No, this was ridiculous. Even if Naruto would agree to this, why would Sasuke want to be associated with someone so annoying? He looked over at Naruto, who was currently wiping sauce off his mouth with his sleeve. As if being annoying wasn't bad enough, Naruto was just simply _gross_.

Although, that could be a good thing, right? Naruto was such the opposite from what Sasuke would look for in a potential boyfriend that any sort of arrangement would be purely business, with no feelings involved. All he'd have to do is offer a date or two with Sakura, offer to complete the project on his own, maybe offer to help Naruto with his homework or something, and Naruto couldn't _not_ accept, right? Why was he even thinking about this?

Sasuke looked out the window and noticed that the rain had cleared up since they started the meal. It wasn't ideal weather, but Naruto could drive home safely now.

"Really?" Naruto asked, a large dose of doubt evident in his voice. Sasuke forgot what Naruto was even talking about? "What brilliant plan did the Uchiha protégé come up with?" Oh right, the fangirls.

"Well, the biggest obstacle is that they lack any sort of intelligence," Sasuke said, wondering how to approach this whole idea. Any straight guy would immediately balk at this, and of all the things Naruto was, gay was definitely not one of them. "I'm sure you can relate to that." Naruto glared at the Uchiha, but he shrugged it off. It wasn't like he could actually intimidate him with that.

"The feasible idea would be to find someone to pretend to date me," Sasuke continued, deciding to tell the whole idea and tell it true. After all, Naruto would be more likely to accept if he knew that Sasuke didn't _want_ this, he was just forced into it. "Of course, there are a few problems with that. There are very few girls who don't piss me off, and any sort of arrangement would involve daily threats from my legions of fan girls. The only real solution to that would be if I found someone who would intimidate the fan girls into leaving them alone." Sasuke refused to add a gender-specific pronoun, and hoped that Naruto wouldn't pick up on that.

"So…" Naruto said, urging Sasuke to continue.

"So," continued Sasuke, taking a deep breath, "there are very few ways to find someone who would intimidate the fan girls. The only thing that I could _possibly_ think of was to try and find a _guy_ to pretend to date me." He made sure to make the idea of following through with this plan sound abhorrent. If there was one thing Sasuke was good at, it was manipulation.

"Why would you want to date a guy?" Naruto asked, his face scrunching up in disgust before widening his eyes. "Uh…you know, not like there's a problem with that. You know…Born This Way, gay pride and all that. You know, if you're into that stuff that's fine too, I guess." He began rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he tried to take back his words.

"I didn't say I was gay," Sasuke pointed out, not wanting to scare Naruto off from this plan. Wait a second…why would that matter? Even if Naruto refused to do this, there were tons of guys out there who would do this. Oh well, in for a dime, in for a dollar. "But I have no interest in people at all – male or female. If I had to choose one to spend time with for appearances, I'd prefer a guy who I could relate to rather than a girl who would let it all go to their head."

"I guess that's true," Naruto said awkwardly, glancing at the door ever-so-slightly. He probably just said that to humor me. Sasuke could still see he was trying to wrap his mind about why a presumably straight guy would want to pretend to date a guy. "Well, if we're done here, I'm gonna go," Naruto said, standing up with his plate to bring it to the kitchen. He began walking there, and Sasuke stood up.

"Wait," he ordered.

"What?" Naruto asked in an impatient tone of voice. Sasuke clenched his fist, not believing what he was about to do.

"I need to put my plan into motion immediately," he confessed. "These fangirls are really becoming too much."

"What plan?" Naruto asked. "Finding some poor, stupid sap to pretend to be your boyfriend? 'Cause that sounds like an awful plan."

"What would you say if I told you I could get you a date with Sakura?" Sasuke asked, ignoring his statement. His eyes widened before narrowing in suspicion. Suddenly, they widened again, realization dawning upon his features.

"Oh no," Naruto said, shaking his head. "I know where you're going with this, and I'm going to tell you right now that there's no way I will sacrifice my reputation and my dignity for a date with anyone." Sasuke clenched his fists. Damn, he was sure that would work.

"What if I did the rest of this assignment for you?" Sasuke asked, which seemed to shock Naruto too. "We both know you need a good grade on this, and I can guarantee you an A. All you have to do is pretend to date me in school – no kissing, no touching, just putting on a good show. And in the end, you'll get a great grade on the project _and_ a date with Sakura."

Naruto narrowed his eyes once more in suspicion before he seemed to think about Sasuke's offer. The raven could tell that even that great deal he laid out for the blond wasn't sealing the deal easily, and Sasuke couldn't blame him. Nevertheless, he needed a fake boyfriend _now_, or he might as well invite his fan club to live in his house. He shuddered at the thought.

"Two dates with Sakura," Sasuke said, hoping the added bonus of a second date with her would seal the deal. This time, he definitely seemed more inclined to accept, but there was a lot of hesitation still. Sasuke couldn't really do anything else. He could always offer a third date, but he was pretty sure Sakura wouldn't go on _three_…she'd end up killing him for even offering. Finally, Naruto sighed.

"Look, I know you're a little upset about all these fangirls," he conceded, "but there is no way in hell that I'm gonna do this."

"Why don't you think about it when you're home?" Sasuke asked, hoping that some thought would lead him to the proper conclusion. "You can answer me tonight over AIM. Just think it over, alright?"

"This is so fucked up," Naruto exclaimed before composing himself slightly. "Fine, I'll go home and think about it, but if I say no, you have to promise to accept my decision."

"Why wouldn't I?" Sasuke asked with a sickeningly sweet smile. Since he didn't explicitly say 'yes', he wouldn't be bound to anything. Because let's face it: this was the closest hope he had at this plan going through. He couldn't just let it slip through his fingers so easily.

He would do anything to get rid of these annoying girls, and if that included pretending to date that idiot, then he'd do it.

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	2. Nothing More

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Sasuke, or Sakura, or Ino, or Shikamaru, or…well, you get the picture.**

**This is the rewritten version, revised on 9-18-12. This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Two: Nothing More

The next morning didn't really start off all that pleasant, although it might just be the fact that Sasuke wasn't not a morning person. Very few mornings actually start off pleasantly. He nearly broke his alarm clock in anger when it woke him from his slumber, and he nearly rolled back over to go to sleep. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that he had to go into school today. Today was the day that he came out of the closet and got rid of the fan girls once and for all. Hopefully.

He had IM'd with Naruto last night, and he'd practically agreed that he'd follow along with this. Sasuke told him where they were going to meet before school, and he'd already started mentally preparing to come out of the closet to Neji, Hinata and Tenten, not to mention Kakashi and the rest of school.

Itachi, of course, dampened his mood a bit. At breakfast this morning, he asked when Sasuke's boy toy would be dropping by the mansion again, and then he started trying to singsong 'Sasuke and Naruto, sitting in a tree, F-U-C-K-I-N-G', but Sasuke just ignored him. Eventually, he'd give up on it. It was then that Sasuke decided to leave for school, and due to a lack of the usual traffic, it took him half the time to get to the school that it usually took.

He slung his bag over his shoulder and made his way towards the building to pick up Naruto. He passed a few girls who tried to talk to him and flirt with him, but he just shut them down. After all, he had to pick up Naruto. He would never get used to this. He walked to the left side of the building while everyone was filing into the school, his bad mood starting to give way to a good mood. If everything went right, then he'd be free of the fan girls forever after this! That thought in and of itself was almost enough to make him smile.

He stood where he was supposed to meet Naruto and saw that no one was there. Was he even showing up? They did agree on 7:30 and it was already 7:34. Did Naruto decide last minute to stand Sasuke up and call off their deal? That would be completely unacceptable. There was no way in hell that Sasuke would let such an utter moron off the hook like that. In fact, just to prove a point that no one screws with an Uchiha, he might just have to get him back for this. As Sasuke mentally continued the rant of things he'd do to get even, he didn't notice someone approach from behind me.

"Hello?" came the voice, shaking Sasuke from the thoughts he had. "Sasuke?" Said boy turned around, expecting to see the blond hair that belonged to his now fake boyfriend, surprised when his eyes fell upon the wrong blond. He recognized her from a few of his classes. She wasn't one of the fangirls, but she used to have a huge crush on Sasuke in middle school. In fact, back then, she and Sakura were the two most prominent fan girls, always arguing over who got to sit next to Sasuke and whatnot.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked shortly, not wanting to get involved in anything else. He already had to plot Naruto's death; he didn't need a former fangirl distracting me.

"I'm here to be your girlfriend," she grumbled, surprising the Uchiha. He looked up with a questioning glance at her. What the hell was she talking about? His look must have conveyed his question, as she answered it quickly. "Naruto told me you needed someone to pretend to be your girlfriend for a little bit to get your fangirls off your back, and he said he'd pay me $50 to do it."

That fucking idiot. Didn't he understand that Sasuke needed the fake girlfriend to be A BOY? That was the only reason he asked him in the first place. But that concept must have gone over his head. If Sasuke wanted to have a fake girlfriend, he could have asked Sakura.

"No," Sasuke said. "I don't need a fake _girl_friend. All that would do is rile the fangirls up, and it would probably put you into an early grave." She snorted at this, which kind of pissed Sasuke off. Who the hell did she think she was anyway?

"You think I'm scared of them?" the blonde girl – Sasuke didn't remember her name – asked, her face sporting an entertained look. "Please, I could chew them up and spit them out. There's no need for _Naruto_ to pretend to be your boyfriend when I can just do it for him and spare him his reputation. You see – everyone's happy. I get my money, he gets his rep, and you get rid of those harpies."

"Why do you care about Naruto's reputation?" Sasuke asked, impatience getting the best of him. It's not like what she said didn't make sense, but the fact that she was a fangirl of Sasuke's at one point didn't really make him excited about this prospect.

"He _is_ my brother," the girl said with a shrug. That's odd – Sasuke didn't know Naruto had a sister in their grade. They didn't look that much like each other at all. Even the blonde hair was much more yellow on Naruto's head, while on hers, it seemed more like a pale silver. He was also much tanner than she was, and his face looked entirely different. Sasuke never would have guessed. "Besides, I owe him for something."

"I don't have the patience for this," Sasuke said as he sighed. "I don't remember your name, but I do remember that you stalked me for, like, four years. I don't exactly trust you to keep your hands off." Was he being an asshole? Yes. Did he care? No.

"Well, first off, the name's Ino," the girl, Ino, said. "Second off, I really don't care if you trust me. It's not like I _want_ to do this, but $50 will get me the new Rihanna album, so I'm all for it." '_Really_?' thought Sasuke. '_Did she just imply that a Rihanna CD is more important than me? I didn't know whether to be angry or relieved_.' He just settled for indifferent.

"Well then, I guess I won't be needing your services anymore," Sasuke said with a shrug as he started to walk around towards the front of the school. "I didn't ask for a fake _girl_friend for a reason." He didn't stay back long enough to hear or see her reaction, instead choosing to return to his previous thoughts of how to kill Naruto. It had to be slow and painful, definitely.

As he walked into his English class a few minutes later, he sent a glare towards the sunshine blond who was sitting in the first row, smiling and laughing with his friends. There were a bunch of people in that group – a kid named Kiba who was a meathead with a brain that rivaled the size of a dog's, a kid named Choji who could eclipse the sun if he was in orbit, a kid named Sai who had the social skills of a dead turkey, and a kid named Lee who had more energy in his pinky than Sasuke could ever muster up, even if he drank Red Bull for a week straight. There was also Kiba, who was the only person who could make Naruto seem intelligent. The blond was too busy with his friends, however, to notice the glare Sasuke sent him as he went to sit with Sakura, Hinata, Gaara, Neji and Tenten. As Sasuke sat down, the bell rang, and the teacher, Kurenai Yuhi, came into the room.

"Okay class," she said. "Sit down and take out last night's homework." Business as usual. She went around the room, collecting the homework one person at a time. Like always, Naruto grinned, scratching his cheek, when Kurenai-sensei came by and he didn't have homework done. Hn, what a moron.

After homework was collected, she had the students get into groups of two to discuss the book they were currently reading, _Tales of a Gutsy Ninja_. The book was actually written by Jiraya, from the time in his life when he was less of a pervert and before he'd decided to teach. It actually wasn't a bad book, except for the fact that it had a main character named…you guessed it…Naruto.

Normally, Sasuke would pair up with Gaara, Neji with Tenten, and Sakura with Hinata. Everyone else in the class would pair up in their own circle of friends as well, the groups never changing at all. But today, Sasuke decided he had to confront Naruto. When everyone got up to get partners, he headed straight towards the blond, who was standing next to Kiba.

"Naruto, you're my partner," Sasuke said with an air of finality in his voice. He wasn't in the mood for arguing, especially with Naruto.

"Get lost, Uchiha," Kiba said with a scowl. "Naruto and I are already partners." Sasuke glared at the brunet before grabbing Naruto's arm and pulling him with back to Sasuke's seat. At first the blond struggled, but Sasuke wouldn't let him escape. Naruto turned back apologetically at Kiba, who strode off. In the end, he paired up with Gaara, who Sasuke had left without a partner of his own.

"So, what did you think about Naruto defeating Zabuza?" Naruto asked, trying to talk about the book and get down to business. Sasuke scowled; did he really think he did that just to talk about the fucking book?

"Personally, I think Naruto is a stupid little punk who lies to people," Sasuke said, sending him a pointed look that either he ignored or didn't understand the importance of.

"What?" he exclaimed "Naruto never lies! He's a strong, brave ninja who doesn't let anything get in his way of becoming Hokage!" Was he serious here? How long was he going to go on with this? Choosing not to play his game, Sasuke intensified his glare before responding.

"I'm talking about the _other_ Naruto," he said, sending Naruto a pointed look. Suddenly, the blonde's face changed to an expression of acceptance. It's like he knew they were going to have to talk about his little stunt with Ino eventually, but he was hoping to delay it. But it seemed he finally resigned himself to this conversation.

"Oh," he said. "This is about Ino, isn't it?" he guessed.

"No shit, Sherlock," Sasuke said sarcastically. "If you didn't want to do this, you could have just told me no instead of _lying_."

"I didn't _lie_," Naruto said, emphasizing the last word. "I was resigned to having to do it, but then I talked with Ino, and we came up with a better plan that made everyone happy. I did you a favor. So when are you two going public?" he asked with a smirk.

"We're not," Sasuke said, a smirk forming on is face. "I'm going to get my fake boyfriend and show you not to screw with me in one shot." The plan had already begun to form in his mind. If there was no way that Naruto would willingly agree to pretend to be Sasuke's boyfriend because of his reputation, then the solution would be to ruin Naruto's reputation to the point where going out with Sasuke would improve it. But how could he achieve that? He'd need to make the school's student body _want_ the two of them to date in order to do that, and he was pretty sure that wouldn't happen.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, his voice low as he narrowed his eyes. At least Sasuke's vague threat seemed to catch his attention. Maybe he wasn't as stupid as Sasuke thought he was. The big question was how Sasuke would get the school to want them together.

Well, people love a good romance. If Sasuke could paint a picture that he and Naruto were some epic romance, he could probably get people on his side. After all, the fan girls were still girls, and girls loved sappy romances. And then the idea came to the Uchiha.

"You'll see soon enough," he said with a smirk. Naruto looked like he was going to question Sasuke further, but before he had the opportunity, Kurenai had them regroup as a class to discuss the novel, leaving the blond wondering about Sasuke's form of revenge.

After class ended, Sasuke was hounded in the halls by Sakura, who wanted to know why he chose to partner with Naruto during class. He had a small mental battle with himself before continuing. If he was to go through with this plan, he'd have to lie to Sakura and Gaara, which he didn't want to do. But if he was to _not_ go through with the plan, he'd have to find another solution to the fangirls and find another way to punish Naruto. So, in the end, Sasuke's needs outweighed the guilt of lying.

"He kissed me last night," Sasuke lied, noting the shocked look on Sakura's face. Even Gaara, who had been walking next to her, couldn't contain his shock. "When we went to my house to work on the project, we just sort of…connected." She beamed in happiness for me, which made Sasuke feel a little guilty for lying, while Gaara was silent. The squeal Sakura let out was virtually inhuman, and Sasuke was pretty certain that only certain species of dolphins were able to fully hear it.

"When are you going to tell everyone that you two are going out?" Sakura asked, excitement playing on her features. "This is so exciting. I thought he liked you…he was always looking at our table during lunch." Sasuke didn't need to tell her that those longing looks were directed at her, not him. "There are just some things a girl can sense."

Sasuke knew that he would end up having to tell Neji about this next period, Phsyics, since they were lab partners. He'd probably wondered why Sasuke partnered with Naruto as well, and he'd learn about this all at lunch anyway. It was best to do this now and get it over with.

Sasuke shuffled into his seat next to Neji and took out his physics notebook. As Genma entered, Neji turned to Sasuke with a look of confusion on his face. Tenten sat down with Hinata at the lab table in front of the pair, and they both turned with questioning looks to hear Sasuke's answer to the question they all knew Neji was about to ask. Well, this was it. It was the moment of truth. After this, there was no turning back.

"So what's up with you and Naruto?" he asked. Sasuke breathed in deeply. '_C'mon, you can do it, Sasuke. If he reacts badly, you can just say you were pretending to be gay to get the fangirls off your backs.'_

"Naruto and I are together," he said finally. "I'm gay."

Now, there are a few reactions you expect when you come out of the closet to someone. Anger, disgust, confusion, a mixture. Heck, it might just be pure happiness. But there were only so many responses and reactions that Sasuke was expecting, and what actually happened was not any of them.

"It's about time," Tenten muttered from the seat in front of me. She sounded annoyed.

"Yeah, well…wait, wait?" Sasuke asked. What did she mean, 'it's about time'? Did she…did she know? Sensing Sasuke's confusion, Neji decided to answer to spare Tenten.

"Tenten and I had a bet on when you'd finally come out," Neji explained, sounding slightly abashed. "She said it would be before the end of last school year, but I said it would be at least after the beginning of senior year." As if Sasuke's confession didn't matter at all, he turned to his girlfriend and opened his hand so his palm faced the ceiling. "Pay up."

Muttering, Tenten pulled out two twenties and put them in Neji's hand, the Hyuga's hand closing around the money. Why he needed more money was beyond Sasuke, since his family was even richer than the Uchihas!

Wait a second…

"You knew?" Sasuke asked Neji, shocked. Was it that obvious? Did he stare at guys or something? Sasuke doubted it. So what was it? Was he just so flamboyant that it was impossible to ignore?

"Duh," Tenten said. "Why else would you remain single so long? You have so many fangirls, that any straight guy would have at least fooled around with most of them, even if he didn't actually get a girlfriend out of it."

"If I had _half_ as many fangirls as you, I would have a different bed warmer every night," Neji said simply, earning a smack from his girlfriend. "If I didn't have Tenten, of course," he added, just a little bit too late.

"Hinata was the first to pick up on it," Tenten said. Sasuke looked over to the blushing Hyuga, who didn't meet his eye. Dammit! Sasuke always prided himself on his cool mask of steely indifference. And now, he finds out people can see right through it? If he didn't have such a powerful cool mask of steely indifference, he'd have pouted right then.

After the enlightening conversation, physics class went by rather quickly, and before he knew it, it was time for lunch, which meant it was time for Sasuke to put his master plan into full effect. By the end of the day, Naruto would be humiliated (and possibly beaten up by a few of Sasuke's more powerful fangirls), and Ssauke would be free. Free at last, free at last! Thank God Almighty, he'll be free at last!

After he got his turkey and cheese sandwich from the cafeteria lady, Sasuke got his napkins and smirked before walking to the area where all the tables were. He sent one glance towards his usual table and then made the decision to stride over to Naruto's table instead. After all, he needed to keep appearances up, didn't he?

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked as Sasuke dropped his tray right next to him and sat down. He smirked inwardly, not wanting to actually show the wrong emotion and mess this plan up. For this plan to work, Sasuke would have to channel his inner-actor to get this to work. He'd have to deliver an Oscar-worthy performance.

"What?" Sasuke asked innocently, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not allowed to sit next to my boyfriend?" Sasuke couldn't tell whether the red flush on Naruto's face was from embarrassment, or anger, or both, but Sasuke knew that he liked it.

"What are you talking about?" Kiba asked, his mouth half full with his food. Sasuke knew the scene that was about the unfold would be entertaining, so he decided to commit every word to memory. He wanted to be able to look back on this when he's sixty and recall how he destroyed Naruto.

"He didn't tell you?" Sasuke asked, earning a confused look from Sai and Lee. "Naruto and I are together." Before Naruto knew what was happening, Sasuke reached his hand out and covered the blonde's, conveying as much affection as possible. Naruto's eyes widened in shock, and Kiba looked confused. Glancing from Naruto to me, his eyes started to widen, beginning to believe me.

"He's lying," Naruto said, his voice finally starting to work for him again. He pulled his hand back like he was touching hot coals. He must have been too shell shocked to respond at first. Suddenly, Sasuke furrowed his brow, trying to convey confusion to the witnesses of this exchange, which now included Ino and Choji as well.

"W-What?" Sasuke asked, hoping that he wasn't being _too_ out of character by stuttering. He had to sound sad and disappointed, or else it would be too obvious that he was fucking with him, but he couldn't overact, either. Sasuke saw out of the corner of his eye that Ino was starting to narrow her eyes. Since she knew about Sasuke's proposal to Naruto last night, Sasuke obviously wasn't fooling her. Oh well, he really only had to convince the student body. "So that kiss last night meant nothing?" Sasuke quickly replaced his look of sadness with a look of stony anger. That's what he'd do if this was real, right? He couldn't actually stay looking like a pathetically love-stricken girl.

"YOU KISSED SASUKE!" Kiba yelled all too loudly. Damn, it was really hard to not smirk at his plan going so well. Kiba's voice had now attracted the attention of the entire cafeteria, as everyone looked at the table Sasuke was now sitting at with interest. Naruto's face grew redder, this time definitely from embarrassment. This couldn't be going more perfectly if Sasuke was able to write their responses himself.

"No, I didn't," Naruto whispered harshly. He looked around and must have noticed that they were the center of attention for all the students, waiting for the drama to unfold. And Sasuke couldn't just disappoint them, could he? He was able to feel the intensity of glares directed at the blond from the fangirl table behind him. "Ino, will you help me out?"

Ino seemed to understand the situation much more quickly than Naruto had, because her eyes narrowed at Sasuke. If he wasn't an Uchiha, he might have flinched at it. Maybe.

"You're a real asshole, you know that?" she asked. '_Alright, Sasuke this is it. It's time to deliver the final blow to Naruto's sorry reputation and the hopes of those insane fangirls_.' He pushed his seat away and picked his tray up.

"I may be an asshole," Sasuke said, projecting his voice so that the silent student body could hear every word he said perfectly. "But at least I don't _kiss_ people and pretend it didn't happen." Sasuke felt the stares of hundreds of kids on him, and decided it was time to continue. He wanted to give the rest of the students enough time to absorb this, but not enough time to question it. "I can't believe I actually liked you. Well, even I can tell when I'm not wanted." Sasuke debated letting a single tear fall to accentuate his point, but he decided he'd already done enough to ruin Naruto.

As soon as he got into the hallway, though, he almost really did start to cry…from laughter. It went so much better than he'd anticipated. It turned his foul mood from this morning into a cheerful one. He felt like he could conquer the world! It was exhilarating to ruin someone. Now, Naruto could choose to either be hated as the insensitive asshole who broke Sasuke's heart, or he'd have to accept Sasuke's offer. And either way, the rest of the student body would think he was gay – it was so perfect!

It didn't take Naruto thirty seconds to storm out of the cafeteria after the Uchiha. Not that they didn't have an audience, Sasuke decided it was time to let is smirk show itself. Naruto glared at him and clenched his fists in anger.

"What the fuck was that, you bastard?" he exclaimed. "What are you trying to pull?"

"Well, as of now, you are the most hated kid in Konoha High," Sasuke said with a smirk. "You 'broke the heart' of the Golden Boy. Now, you'll be lucky to get through the rest of the day without getting beaten up by my fangirls. And now, since everyone thinks I'm not-so-secretly pining for you, they'll leave me alone. I just killed two birds with one stone. I bet you wished you'd met me this morning, don't you?" He was actually shaking with anger, but it didn't scare Sasuke. If anything, it made his smirk grow.

"You asshole," Naruto growled. "Just because I didn't want to go along with some scheme that had a slight chance of helping you at my expense doesn't give you the right to ruin my life!" Sasuke could feel a slight pang of guilt at that, knowing that if the shoe was on the other foot, he would hate himself. And then there was the whole thought that Sasuke humiliated Naruto just like Itachi liked to humiliate Sasuke, which sent shivers down Sasuke's spine.

"I think if you want to salvage your reputation, you should rethink my offer," Sasuke said, deciding to be generous. "Right now, everyone thinks you're an asshole who's confused about his sexuality. If you decide to go through with the plan that I'd already come up with, you can go from a bi-curious asshole to a gay sweetheart." His glare intensified at Sasuke's suggestion.

"I'm not gay," Naruto insisted. "And I certainly won't do you any favors," he spat.

"Well, it wouldn't really be a favor," Sasuke replied with a shrug. "I've done what I wanted to do. This is my offer to help you salvage what's left of your reputation." His glared didn't let up and Sasuke scoffed. "I'll give you to the end of the day to rethink my offer. Good luck salvaging your reputation and preventing those rabid fangirls from tearing your balls off." Sasuke turned to walk away, but Naruto got in front of him, blocking the way.

"You really are the biggest asshole on earth!" he shouted at Sasuke.

"And you're the biggest dumbass on earth," the raven retorted. Naruto glared at Sasuke for a little longer, probably hoping that the Uchiha would eventually crack and return to the cafeteria to undo the damage he caused. But after the little staring contest Naruto had initiated, he huffed and walked off in the other direction while Sasuke walked to history class.

Too bad for him that they had history next, because they were still partners for the history project. And as if his luck wasn't bad enough this morning, they had to work together all afternoon. Sasuke knew there were whispers about Naruto from some of the other groups, and Naruto barely spoke a word to him. That was fine, because he normally never shut up…it was nice to have a small break from it. Twice during the period, Karin punched him while she walked by to sharpen her pencil. It was like Sasuke's fangirls had become his own personal army!

After history, they had psychology class, where Kakashi was late…as usual. Sasuke retold the sad story about how he'd always had a crush on Naruto and how Naruto had kissed him last night and admitted he returned the feelings, only to reject Sasuke today at lunch. Since the class was small and intimate, Kakashi decided it was okay to have story time instead of a lesson. Naruto wasn't there, of course, because he got punched in the nose by Sasame in the hallway and was at the nurse. But still, through Sasuke's retelling, one person remained totally unconvinced.

"What's going on?" Neji asked Sasuke when the two were alone. "I know you're gay and all, but I also know that Naruto hasn't even been a blimp on your radar until yesterday. Besides, you're not the type to get all upset over a rejection. Gaara and I spoke about it, and we agreed that something's fishy." Well, Sasuke wasn't exactly surprised that he hadn't fooled Neji and Gaara. Gaara was always too observant for his own good, and Neji was just as smart.

"You got me," Sasuke said, holding his hands up in mock surrender as he smirked. "Let's just say that it's a part of my plan to get rid of the fan girls…for good."

"So far it seems to be working," the Hyuga commented, noticing that most of the fangirls were focusing more on Naruto than on Sasuke. "I'm glad to finally have a conversation with you without hearing squeals of 'Sasuke-kun' constantly."

"Tell me about it," Sasuke said as the blond entered the room, a tissue held to his nose to keep it from bleeding. He sat down at his usual seat and was swarmed by Tsure and Karin, who were yelling at him about something (three guesses as to what). Naruto raised his arms to shield himself from getting hit when Neji continued.

"So, why Naruto Uzumaki of all people?" he asked Sasuke as he followed his gaze. "Does my little Sasuke-kun have a crush?" he asked with a smirk. Sasuke scoffed, the remark not even deserving a glare.

"Please," he said. "I _do_ have standards."

Finally, with five minutes left of the period, Kakashi finally decided to hand out a sheet detailing a project. And of course it was a project that they'd work on in partners. And of course, it was Kakashi who chose the partners. He claimed he chose the partners last night before any of this happened, but Naruto didn't exactly believe him when he and Sasuke were paired together for their second project together. Sasuke wasn't particularly happy at that either, but at least spending more time with Naruto would give more credence to the rumors.

Usually, Kakashi pissed Sasuke off when he interfered. Technically, he was Sasuke's guardian, and he's the closest thing Sasuke had to a father since he was six, but he still pissed the Ucihha off. He always meddled in things that weren't his business, and it usually ended up badly for him. But this time, Sasuke wasn't mad at all. In fact, one could say it was fate that he paired him with Naruto again. After all, he loved being able to rub Naruto's face in his plan for another few minutes.

Too soon, however, the class was over, and it was time for the last period of the day: health with the perverted Jiraya Senin. And knowing that the rumors about Naruto and himself had spread throughout the school already, Sasuke smirked, knowing that Jiraya would probably make some perverted remark about Naruto during the class. It was really all too perfect.

As they shuffled in, Jiraya was putting away a few copies of Hustler magazine into his desk, and asked his usual question. "Welcome back, class. Did anyone have sex last night?" Instead of the usual groans from the other students in the class, there were awkward looks sent towards Naruto and Sasuke, and the latter smirked inwardly at the outburst Naruto made upon realizing this.

"I did _not_ have sex with that bastard last night!" he exclaimed rather loudly. It took all Sasuke's effort not to just burst out laughing. Instead, he scowled, pretending to be irritated by Naruto's attitude. Sasuke looked at Jiraya, and saw he had an amused expression on his face.

"Aw, and you even have an adorable pet name for him," Jiraya said, ruffling Naruto's hair. "Now I know why you didn't want to see pictures of naked girls in class yesterday, huh?" Naruto flushed in embarrassment and anger, beginning to sputter. "It's okay," Jiraya continued. "Today we will be reading a book instead."

"A book?" Sakura asked from her seat behind me. This was unusual. It seemed everyone in the classroom was confused as to the new direction this class would take.

"Yes, a book," Jiraya said to the pinkette behind me. "It's a written work or composition that has been published. You can generally find them in libraries and book stores, although now you can get them on e-readers as well."

"I know what a book is," Sakura huffed before muttering "pervert" under her breath.

"This book is called Icha Icha Paradise, and it was written by yours truly," the teacher said with a stupid grin. Hm, he usually only grinned like that when he watched porn. What kind of book was it? As he handed out the books, Sasuke got his answer, staring at the cover of the book. So this is why he chose to stop looking at pictures of naked girls and start reading. It was an erotic novel! Sasuke didn't know why he was surprised. If anyone wouldn't surprise him by writing a smutty book, it would be Jiraya.

"What do you suggest for people like Naruto and I who don't…appreciate…the content," Sasuke asked, inwardly applauding at the way he was able to throw more attention at the blonde's sexuality. A few people sniggered, but Jiraya's eyes widened.

"Are you saying that you two _did_ have sex?" he asked, slightly surprised. "I'm going to assume that you topped, Sasuke." Sasuke smirked at this, mentally counting down the seconds until Nrauto's outburst. 3…2…1…

"WE DID NOT FUCKING HAVE SEX!" Naruto yelled from across the room. He threw his book towards the front, hitting Jiraya in the head with it.

"No, we didn't," Sasuke agreed calmly. "You see, Mr. Senin, Naruto's so confused about his sexual orientation that he decided to use me to experiment, giving no regards towards my feelings on the matter." People seemed a little shocked that Ssauke spoke. That might be the most he'd spoken in that class all semester. Was he being too out of character?

"Experimentation," Jiraya said to himself while rubbing his chin, thinking about what Sasuke had just said. "Class, I think I have another idea for a lesson plan today. Naruto, will you stand up and come to the front of the class?"

"W-What?" Naruto asked, his eyes wide. '_What did I just get him into_?' Sasuke smirked slightly and leaned back, deciding to enjoy whatever show was about to play out in front of him.

"I asked you to come up here," Jiraya repeated, tapping his foot in impatience. "Are you gay _and_ deaf?"

"I'm not gay," Naruto muttered before standing up and walking to the front of the room. Sasuke couldn't believe that his plan to humiliate Naruto had worked so well. This is above and beyond what he'd expected. He patted himself on the back, mentally of course.

"I want you to look at a few of these pictures and tell me what you think," Jiraya sensei said. He first put up a diagram of the female reproductive system, and Naruto shrugged. He then put up a picture of a naked girl who…damn! Those things were, like, size GG! It's amazing those things weren't falling off! Naruto's eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped immediately upon seeing the picture, to which Jiraya chuckled. "You don't have to overcompensate," he said, patting the blonde's head. "None of us care that you're gay. You don't have to pretend anymore." The entire class snickered, and Sasuke would have joined in had he not had too much decorum. But yeah, he was enjoying this.

"I'm not gay," Naruto muttered again, glaring at the teacher. Then, Jiraya shocked everyone in the room by doing something that no one would ever expect him to do. He put up a picture of a naked _guy._ They didn't even think he had _diagrams_ of a guy, let alone _pictures_. Immediately, Naruto looked away in disgust, as did most of the guys in the class. Sasuke just sat there with a bored expression, not really caring. Sure, the guy was good looking, but thankfully, Sasuke didn't let hormones run his life.

Jiraya clicked off the projector and unplugged it before sending Naruto back to his seat. "Okay class, I'm now entirely sure of Naruto's sexual orientation." Naruto immediately hid his head in his hands on his desk as the teacher began to speak again. "He's definitely gay, but he's hidden so far in the closet that he's convinced himself he's straight." Sasuke nearly laughed right then and there at the red that had spread all the way to Naruto's ears, which were still visible while his head was hidden. Although a part of Sasuke was really entertained by all this, a part of him did feel bad, too. He heard a distinct pounding noise as Naruto beat his head against his desk.

"I offer extra credit to anyone who can get Naruto to admit he's gay, and even more extra credit to anyone who can successfully set him up with Sasuke," Jiraya said with a look of self-satisfaction on his face as Sasuke's jaw dropped and Naruto burst out.

"WHAT?" he exclaimed. For once, Sasuke had to really agree with him. What gave Jiraya the right to do that? All Naruto or Sasuke would have to do to get him fired would be go to the school board. What kind of school did he think this was?

"C'mon, Naruto," Sakura said from behind me. "Everyone knows Sasuke's hot! What's stopping you?"

"I'm not gay!" Naruto yelled for what must have been the twentieth time that day. Ignoring him, Sakura turned to me, rubbing the Uchiha's shoulder supportively.

"Don't worry, Sasuke," she said. "As soon as Naruto realizes who he is and comes out, he'll be ready to be with you. He only rejected you because he's still in denial and thinks he's straight." Sasuke wasn't sure whether to be amazed at Sakura's stupidity for falling for this, or to be happy that she was helping paint him as a victim. The more victimized Sasuke seemed, the more Naruto would be pushed into a corner.

"I guess you're right," Sasuke said to Sakura. He had one final thing to say, so he turned to Naruto. "But I won't wait for you forever, so hurry up."

* * *

Sasuke realized after he got home that he must have inherited Itachi's sadistic streak. To be honest…he was pretty harsh back there. Sure, Naruto sort of deserved it for lying to him, but at the same time, Sasuke couldn't help the gnawing feeling of guilt that was beginning to creep up on him again. Not only did Sasuke ruin Naruto's chance at finding a girl in high school, but he also made Naruto look like a complete asshole. As impressive as it was, it was also a little jarring when Sasuke realized just how much that could hurt him. It really _was_ something Itachi would do.

It was just like the previous day when Itachi insinuated that he and Naruto were together. Or like when Sasuke first invited Sakura over to the mansion and Itachi made her think that he invited over for a date. Or that time that he told Neji that Sasuke was too busy doing a voodoo ritual to hang out with him. Come to think of it, he was becoming just like Itachi.

That thought actually scared Sasuke a bit. He really hated Itachi because of how much he tried to torture him. Sasuke looked in the mirror on the back of his bedroom door, and saw that he physically resembled him too. It was like he was becoming his brother – evil and sadistic. Sure, neither of them were evil in the sense that they'd hurt or kill someone, but Sasuke just might have ruined Naruto's life. With the exception of his very close friends, no one who lived here would ever think of Naruto as more than a closeted homosexual.

Sasuke's train of thought was interrupted, ironically, when Itachi came into the room. "Your blond boy toy is downstairs," he said nonchalantly. "He wants to talk to you." Sasuke didn't really have the energy to scowl at his brother, as he was wondering why Naruto was here. But Sasuke actually felt like he wanted to see him. He had this insane urge to apologize. He rushed down the hallway, but slowed down before he reached the stairs…he didn't want to seem too eager to apologize.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked when he saw the blond standing in the foyer. "What are you doing here?" Sasuke finished walking down the stairs when Naruto turned around to face him, glare in place.

"What the fuck was that all about!" he yelled, glaring at the raven. "I know I backed out of our fucked up deal, but what you did was uncalled for."

"You're right," Sasuke said after a couple of seconds, causing Naruto to gape at me. "I shouldn't have gone so far with making people think you're a confused, gay asshole who broke my heart."

"Yeah," Naruto agreed softly, somewhat confused at my apology. Hm, who knew there was more than one volume to his voice? "That was a little overkill. You could have just stopped at confused and gay and still gotten your point across." Wait, was that…a joke?

"I was just glad that coming out and pretending to have a huge ass crush on you was just what I needed to get the fangirls off my back," Sasuke said, wondering what Naruto would do now that Sasuke had admitted that he went to far.

"Yeah, and I'm sorry, by the way," Naruto said, the grin gone from his face. Sasuke furrowed his brow in confusion. Why would he be sorry?

"For what?" the Uchiha asked, confused. It's not like he really had anything to apologize for, right?

"Well, after you tell the truth tomorrow, you'll be glommed by fan girls again," Naruto said. Yeah, that's true…hold on…

"When did I ever say I was going to tell the truth?" Sasuke asked, causing him to gape.

"I-I thought you said you were sorry," he said. His eyes were growing wide, realizing that Sasuke had no intention to go back in time, or to undo this mess.

"I did," Sasuke confirmed. "But I never said I'd tell the truth. I still need to keep the fangirls off my back. I told you what you have to do if you really want to salvage this."

"No!" he immediately yelled, rejecting Sasuke's offer. Jeez, why'd he have to always be so loud? Where was the volume control that Sasuke had witnessed a few seconds ago?

"Listen, you can kill two birds with one stone," Sasuke suggested. "We pretend to date, which will keep the fangirls off my back, and then, I'll break up with you in a few weeks, and you can play the victim. The girls will glom onto you and you can have anyone you want. It's a win/win."

"No!" he repeated, his volume even louder.

"If you don't agree, I could always spend the night coming up with new and more creative ways to ruin your reputation," Sasuke offered with a shrug, prompting Naruto to narrow his eyes.

"You wouldn't dare," he said. In all honesty, Sasuke didn't relish going any further with this, but he would if he had to. His peace and sanity had to come before Naruto's high school reputation.

"Try me," Sasuke challenged, smirking at Naruto's glare. It's not like he really _could_ challenge Sasuke after what he pulled today. He'd have to take a pretty big gamble for that.

"Fine," he said, which actually surprised the Uchiha. Sasuke didn't actually expect Naruto to agree so soon. "But there are a few conditions." Oh, great…what now? "I still owe Ino $50 because she offered to be your girlfriend instead of me."

"That's pocket change," Sasuke said, dismissively waving his hands. He looked surprised at how quickly he conceded to that demand before continuing.

"You offered to do my project," he reminded the raven. "I still want you to do that, and do the one for psychology, too."

"I'm only doing the history one," Sasuke said, putting his foot down. "You can help with the psychology one." Naruto glared at him before finally accepting.

"Fine," he muttered. "But I also want those dates with Sakura when this is all over." Well, that could be a problem now that she thought Sasuke and Naruto were actually going to be together, but that didn't stop Sasuke from agreeing. He could cross that bridge when he came to it. "Good, then I'll meet you tomorrow on the side of the school." Naruto turned and left, leaving Sasuke standing alone in the foyer.

With that, Sasuke went upstairs to begin doing homework. He had an entire project he had to do, too. He silently cursed his guilt as he made his way up the stairs. If it wasn't for him offering the original deal to satisfy his own guilt, he wouldn't have so much work to do in the space of just a few weeks. Oh well, at least he won't have to worry about the fangirls.

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	3. Not So Good in Practice

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Sasuke, or Sakura, or Ino, or Shikamaru, or…well, you get the picture.**

**This is the rewritten version, revised on 9-18-12. This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Three: Not So Good in Practice

Sasuke was rolling his eyes at the phone, but it didn't matter; Naruto couldn't see him. The blond was currently on the other line, trying to 'lay down the law' and be assertive. "Before I pretend to go out with you," he had begun the conversation, "we need to lay down some ground rule." So far, most of this stuff was nonsense, but Naruto was getting to some actually significant things.

Sasuke sighed heavily at the blonde's speech. The raven was sacrificing so much already by pretending to go out with the blond, he figured it couldn't hurt to indulge in some of his more benign requests.

"Then there's public displays of affection," Naruto said, moving on to the next item on his list. Sasuke sat up straight. Here's where they might have a disagreement.

"Well, we'll have to do _some_ to make it believable," Sasuke told him. "You know, hug each other in the hallway, some hand touching at the lunch table…"

"_Nothing_ more than a peck on the cheek," Naruto said, his tone assuring Sasuke that there was no questioning these terms. It didn't matter to him; it wasn't like he was trying to get into Naruto's pants. So no groping or kissing – it's not like he would have done that without Naruto's rules.

"Next," Naruto said, indicating he was moving on after the agreement. "Eating lunch."

"I'm not going to eat lunch with your…friends," Sasuke said, resisting the temptation to call them various names. That wouldn't really make this easier, would it? "Your friend Kiba is disgusting on a good day and revolting on a bad one, Lee is way too energetic to be near on any day, and Ino is really annoying when she gets into fangirl-mode." Sasuke paused after the last one. That might not be true, strictly speaking, anymore. She wasn't very obsessed with Sasuke anymore. The situation yesterday proved that.

"And I won't sit with you guys every day," Naruto said stubbornly. "As if dealing with you wasn't enough, I'm sure Gaara and Neji have sticks up their asses that rival your own. To make it fair, we'll spend one day at my table and the next at your table."

"Sounds fair enough," Sasuke grumbled into the phone. He wouldn't have lunch with his friends anymore. He guessed that was just the sort of sacrifice he needed to make in order to make this work.

"And lastly," Naruto said, almost trepidatiously, "if someone asks, I get to be the top." He went quiet, obviously expecting Sasuke's objection. It took Sasuke a second to understand what Naruto was saying, but when he realized, he was quick to voice his objections.

"No fucking way," Sasuke said firmly. "There's no way on earth that anyone would believe you could top anyone, let alone top _me._"

"It's a good thing that you're a good actor," Naruto said pointedly. "Your performance in school yesterday was proof enough of that. You want this to work? Then act the part of my wonderful little bottom."

Sasuke silently cursed. Of course Naruto would bring up the fact that he could pull off some good acting when he had to. The worst part was, was that if Naruto and Sasuke _really_ went out, Sasuke would top; but he could still probably pull off being a bottom if he tried.

Besides, did he really have a choice?

"Fine," Sasuke growled out. "I will _pretend_ to be your bottom," he said, stressing the 'pretend' as much as possible. He could almost hear the relief in Naruto's voice; the blond obviously expected a much larger fight.

"Alrighty, then, I'll see you at school on Monday," Naruto said before hanging up. Sasuke hung up as well before closing his eyes and laying back down on his bed.

Alright, so this wasn't the perfect outcome, but it would work. It couldn't make the situation worse.

A thought suddenly came to the Uchiha. _'What if this is a huge mistake?'_

* * *

Sasuke finally made his way downstairs for some lunch, and was dismayed to find his brother and his friends already in the kitchen. This would make his entire day that much worse. He hated being around his brother, and his friends were somehow even worse.

First there was Deidara. Deidara was taller than Itachi, with blond hair, blue eyes, and a very attractive face. Deidara's only redeeming quality, in fact, was the fact that he was incredibly hot. There were many times when Sasuke fantasized about fucking the blond and running his hands all over his body. Deidara's biggest flaws were his lack of intelligence, and his constant need to be the loudest person in the room.

Then there was Kisame Hoshigaki. Kisame was probably the nicest of Itachi's friends, always trying to never intrude, even though he has been a constant figure in Itachi's life since they were in kindergarten together. When he was small, he had a disease that turned the skin on his face, hands, arms, and legs grey. The thing that Sasuke hated about Kisame was that he constantly made bad jokes, and was always trying to be too friendly. He knew just how much Sasuke hated them, but kept trying to change it.

The last person there was Nagato. Nagato was probably the most emo-looking kid that Sasuke had ever met. He was very skinny – almost unhealthily so – and had straight red hair that fell over his eyes. There was a point a few years ago when Nagato dyed his hair black, and he actually _did_ become emo. Nagato was a very serious person who never really gave Sasuke a second thought. And Sasuke didn't mind. He didn't care for Nagato either.

Itachi, of course, had other friends, but none were here. Sasuke was grateful. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with Hidan talking about religion or Sasori arguing with Deidara about art. The absolute worst of all his friends, however, was Kakuzu. The guy was an asshole who didn't care about anything except for money. The only reason he was a part of the group was because his mother belonged to the same church as Hidan's mother, and their parents always forced them to play together as children.

"Hey Sasuke!" Deidara said loudly. Itachi and Nagato briefly glanced at Sasuke, but then looked away. They didn't really care enough to bother greeting him. Not that he cared. Kisame was the only one who actually gave a nice hello that did not break sound barriers, but Sasuke just blew it off. He used to feel somewhat bad for not giving Kisame the time of day, but by now, the older man was used to it, and shouldn't even try anymore.

Sasuke opened the door to the fridge, but closed it again after seeing that it was nearly empty. Now he was pretty pissed off. He had already told Itachi that they needed more food, but the older raven didn't go out and get any.

"I see we _still_ don't have any food," Sasuke growled out to his brother.

"If you want something, then _you_ can go out and get it," Itachi said simply. "I don't generally eat here that often."

God, he made Sasuke so angry. He couldn't wait for a few more months. Then he would go off to college, far away, and leave Itachi forever. There was nothing keeping him here except for the fact that Itachi had been his legal guardian for a few years, and would continue to be so until Sasuke turned eighteen in December.

He slammed the fridge shut and walked out of the room, not even paying attention to what Deidara had just called out to him.

Things between he and Itachi had been like that for a while. After their parents were killed, they were distraught, and Kakashi ended up taking them in. Well, more like they ended up taking Kakashi in, since Kakashi just moved into the mansion. But for Sasuke, life had stopped when his parents were dead. As much as Kakashi tried to pull him out, Sasuke would just be a recluse.

After a while, things got a little easier. When Sasuke started making friends, he began to open up more, and now, Kakashi was like a father to him in many ways. But Itachi would never be the brother Sasuke wanted, needed. After their parents deaths, Itachi became severely depressed and started to cut himself.

After he tried to commit suicide a few years ago, he was put in intensive therapy, and went from depressed to reclusive. He still had his friends, but he didn't act the same when he was home. For years he just ignored Sasuke as if he was gum on the bottom of his shoes. When Itachi turned eighteen two years ago, Kakashi transferred over guardianship of Sasuke to Itachi, hoping that having to be responsible for his brother would improve things between the two of them.

It didn't.

Sasuke was fifteen, and he suddenly had to take care of himself, because his brother sure wasn't doing the job. Itachi commuted to school in the city, and would often stay out late. College was good for Itachi – it helped him finally recover from their parents' deaths. But he still didn't care about Sasuke, and so Sasuke stopped caring about him. Except Sasuke couldn't feel the perfect, practiced apathy that Itachi felt for him. Instead, he ended up with just a deep resentment and loathing for this brother, and, by extension, his friends.

Instead of going out to eat, Sasuke decided to go back to his room. He didn't really want to do anything today except stay up there, and his brother's friends being there was as good an excuse as any to stay up there.

The day passed slowly, but it passed. And the next day, instead of doing nothing all day, he took $300 from Itachi's wallet and went out to go shopping. By the end of the day, the fridge, freezer, and pantries were all full, and Itachi wasn't speaking to Sasuke because of the money. Sasuke didn't care.

* * *

The next morning, Monday, started off pretty badly for Sasuke. He wasn't really a morning person, so waking up this early any day was difficult for him. He tripped over his sheets when he got out of bed, and ended up hurting his head. Then, when he was in the shower, the hot water went off, which just screamed 'Itachi.'

Despite having _way_ more than enough money to keep up the bills, every now and then, Itachi "forgot." Sasuke suspected that he did it on purpose to throw a wrench in Sasuke's day, to show that he had some power of him, but he never said anything. He wouldn't give Itachi that satisfaction.

On his way to school, he suddenly realized that he should be happy – today was the day that Operation: Fake Boyfriend would commence. No more fangirls, no more annoyances. It would be perfect! Well, except for everyone thinking he was a bottom. But who knows? Maybe it wouldn't even come up!

When Sasuke got to the school, he stayed in his car and listened to his radio until he saw the tufts of blonde hair walking towards the building. When he finally caught sight of it, he turned the car off and got out, following his "boyfriend" into the building. He didn't catch up to him until after the blond had entered the classroom.

By the time Sasuke got there, Naruto was talking with his friends around Kiba's desk. Sasuke knew he had to do something to announce the relationship now, or else people would wonder later on in the day why we didn't tell our friends first thing in the morning. Besides, Naruto wasn't suspecting anything at the moment. It was time to show him who was in control of this relationship.

Kiba was talking animatedly as Sasuke walked up beside Naruto and gave him a peck on the cheeks. It was a shame Naruto had said that was in-bounds, because Sasuke would otherwise have never even thought to do so. Immediately, Naruto squeaked, "Sasuke!" and the rest of the room erupted in whispers. Well, except for his brunet best friend.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Uchiha?" Kiba asked. "Naruto rejected you; stop molesting him!"

"Kiba…" Naruto began, but he was cut off by his friend.

"And while you're at it," the Inuzuka continued, "get the fuck away from us."

"_Kiba_," Naruto repeated, this time getting Kiba's attention. But before he could speak, Sasuke decided he should get Naruto's goat, so to speak.

"You didn't tell him about us yet?" Sasuke asked Naruto, looking hurt, but really savoring the situation he had put the blond in. Kiba looked from Sasuke to Naruto with a hilariously confused expression.

"I didn't get there yet," Naruto growled out. "Kiba, Sasuke and I are…we're…well, we're sort of going out."

The reaction was instantaneous. Kiba, and Choji both shouted out a chorus of "WHAT?!" while the rest of the class erupted in whispers. Ino looked at Naruto oddly, and the blond himself closed his eyes, as if to block out the reaction from his memory.

"You told us that he was lying about you kissing him," Choji said, a confused look on his face. "You rejected him. We all saw it." Kiba was still in a state of stunned silence. Sasuke looked at Naruto expectantly. Now it was time to see if Naruto could pull off as great a performance as Sasuke could.

"He wasn't lying," Naruto told them. "The other day, I…I was confused, and I kissed him." He closed his eyes. "I didn't think it meant anything, but yesterday…"

"Yesterday he apologized for making a fool out of me in front of everyone," Sasuke offered, not knowing why he decided to bail Naruto out. "The rest of the story doesn't matter. He and I are together now, and if you really are his friends, then you won't care about him being gay."

"What do you mean 'if you really are his friends'?" Kiba asked, sounding offended. "You're an asshole, Uchiha, of course none of us care about Naruto being gay." Choji's expression showed that it also went for him, but Ino's expression looked as if she was uncomfortable with this. It was probably because she knew that Naruto was faking this whole thing. "All I care about is why he would decide to date a bastard like you."

"Kiba, he's not a bastard," Naruto said as the bell rang, indicating the start of class. Kurenai entered the class and told everyone to sit down, so Naruto found a seat next to Ino, behind Kiba. Sasuke took the seat between Naruto and Sakura. She kept trying to get Sasuke's attention, but Sasuke really wasn't going to have this conversation in the middle of English class.

Class was rather short that day, but they were paired into groups to discuss their book again. Sasuke found it kind of humorous that the ninja in the book had the same name as his "boyfriend," but he decided not to bring it up. Naruto was probably teased enough about it when they first heard the book's title.

"So what did you think about the chapter?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know," Sasuke commented. "I was really looking forward to seeing Naruto's rival – I forget his name – fighting the sand demon, but then the Sand and Sound villages had to attack and ruin it all. It was all boring after that."

"What?" Naruto asked, completely incredulous that Sasuke didn't like the rest. "You're telling me that the Third Hokage's battle with his former student was boring?"

"It wasn't too exciting," Sasuke said with a shrug. "I was really still focused on Naruto chasing down his rival and the sand demon." They continued to talk about the book until the bell rang and Sasuke got up to go to physics. Unfortunately, this gave Sakura, Neji, Hinata, and Tenten the perfect opportunity to ambush him about Naruto.

The first thing Sakura did was hug Sasuke and squee at him. "You and Naruto?" she asked excitedly, and Sasuke nodded in affirmation. "How did that happen?" she asked.

"It's a long story," Sasuke said, hoping he wouldn't have to invent a story for it.

"You're an awful boyfriend, you know," Tenten told him. "You're _supposed_ to be walking him to class."

"It's right down the hall!" Sasuke argued.

"So?" Tenten asked. "You still have two minutes before the bell rings. Don't you want to spend as much time with him as possible?"

"I figured I'd rather talk to you guys, instead of walking with him," Sasuke said. "Besides, he has a lot to talk about with them."

Sasuke walked into class, followed by the others, and promptly sat down next to Gaara. He was grateful that Neji took the spot on his other side, so he wouldn't be bothered by incessant questions. Not a second later, Anko entered the room and decided to start the lesson, so Sakura, Tenten and Hinata ended up taking the seats behind Gaara, Neji, and Sasuke.

Sasuke found physics to be pretty interesting, but he was sure he was the only one who liked learning about vectors and forces. Why people think it's boring, Sasuke didn't know. Maybe he was just a nerd. About halfway through the period, Gaara threw a paper ball onto Sasuke's desk and nudged his head at it, silently telling the Uchiha to read it. He opened the note and saw what Gaara had written.

_So what's really going on between you and Naruto?_

Underneath his writing, I wrote my own response: _Call me after school and I'll explain everything. For now, just go with it._ Sasuke tossed the note back on the desk and resumed paying attention to the lesson.

Sasuke wouldn't keep this a secret from Gaara, mostly because Gaara would know what was up. Besides, he'd need someone to be able to tell everything to. He learned after his parents deaths that he can't keep everything to himself, and it worked the same with secrets as with feelings.

After physics, it was time for lunch, which presented the first problem to their plan: Naruto and Sasuke had never decided where to sit today. They both agreed to alternate tables, but where would they go the first day? Sasuke noticed Naruto had gotten lunch already and was standing with a tray, questioning the same problem. Sasuke shrugged, so Naruto put his tray down on Sasuke's usual table – right next to Sakura, of course.

When Sasuke finally got his lunch and was back at my table, he sat himself down right between Naruto and Gaara, facing Neji. He figured it was expected of him to sit next to his "boyfriend." That was what Neji did with Tenten, after all.

"So Naruto," Sakura said, "when did you figure out you were gay?"

"I'm not gay," Naruto said, a little too quickly and panicky for Sasuke's desire. "I'm bi. And I didn't really figure it out until the other day."

"After the kiss?" she asked, a smirk on her face.

"Uh, yeah," Naruto replied awkwardly. Sasuke couldn't blame him. He was talking to his crush about kissing another guy. It was a pretty awkward situation.

"Let's talk about something else," Sasuke suggested, hoping to relieve Naruto from having to deal with Sakura's nagging questions. Don't get him wrong – she was one of Sasuke's best friends. But she also didn't know when to stop.

"Why?" Sakura asked. "I want to know what happened this weekend to change everything. Last I heard, Naruto was still pretending he didn't like you." Yeah, pretending.

"Well, it started when I went back to his house to work on his history project," Naruto said, deciding it was his turn to save the day. As soon as he told the story, that would be what Sasuke would have to tell everyone too. He would rather come up with the story than let Sasuke do it. Besides, after they got through the initial stage of shock when everyone wants to know what happened, it would get significantly easier, the blond hoped.

"We were pretty quiet, and it was awkward," Naruto continued. "Sasuke had to let me help with the project, but I could tell he didn't really want to see me. It really hurt, and I started to realize that I really did like him, and I didn't want him to be made at me. I almost kissed him again, but he stopped me and told me that if I wanted to kiss him, I'd have to tell the truth to everyone. We talked for a while after that; he helped me realize that coming out would be a good thing, and that we could be free to date openly."

"That's so sweet!" Sakura cooed. It was a pretty good fabrication, and Sasuke was pretty impressed. It was realistic, and just romantic enough to get people to give them the benefit of the doubt. Sasuke heard the tell-tale sound of 'awws' behind him, and he turned to look at his fangirl table. Now, usually, the fangirl table was made of two tables pushed together so that more people could sit, but today there were two separate tables. One had girls that were cooing and awwwing, and the other had girls who looked either depressed or angry.

"What's going on with them?" Sasuke asked the girls at the table. They probably knew what was up – girls love to talk.

"A lot of them are angry at Naruto because they think he stole you from them," Sakura explained to the Uchiha. "But there are a lot who are happy for you and think…well, that you two are pretty, uh, hot together." Sakura blushed a little bit at the comment, and Sasuke was suddenly speechless.

"You're kidding me," Sasuke said incredulously. "I have two _sects_ of fangirls now?"

Sakura nodded in response. "A lot of people are joining the sect of girls who think that you two are great together. It's not just people who were your fangirls anymore, Sasuke."

"I'm getting more fangirls?" Sasuke asked, horrified. It took all of his strength not to end the deal with Naruto right then and there.

"At least they're not bothering you," Hinata pointed out, and Sasuke was grateful for the bright side. It was true. Even though he was getting more fangirls, they were all respecting his space so far. No one was intruding, even the ones who were mad at Naruto.

"They're so cute," Sakura said of the girls at the bigger table. "They even gave you guys a cute nickname like Bradgelina and Bennifer." Sasuke was about to ask what their nickname was, somewhat afraid to know, but Sakura told them anyway. "SasuNaru," she told them. "It has a ring to it."

"Why does he get top billing?" Naruto complained with a pout. "NaruSasu sounds so much better."

"Seriously?" Sasuke asked Naruto with an unbelieving expression. "You find out that we're a part of some sort of supercouple, and your only concern is about whose name comes first in the nickname?"

"It's not my _only_ concern," Naruto said. "It's just the top priority right now."

"Just wait until Naruto finds out _why_ Sasuke has top billing," Tenten whispered to Sakura, catching the blonde's attention.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naruto asked with a slightly offended expression. "Why is his name first?"

"Because they're all pretty sure that he's the top," Sakura said offhandedly, and Sasuke smirked in his seat. He was going to love this. He told Naruto that no one would believe he was a top, and here was the proof. "It was pretty unanimous," she added, making Naruto even more offended.

"WHAT!?" he yelled, jumping out of his seat and pointing at the table of fangirls. "Why would _Sasuke_ be the top? That makes no sense!" Sasuke reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him back down.

"Shut up, Naruto," he growled. "Don't make a scene."

"That's easy for you to say," he said with a pout. "No one thinks you're the bottom."

"So you haven't decided who's on top yet?" Sakura asked deviously. "You might want to figure that out soon."

"Do you mind?" Neji asked as he swallowed a bite of his lunch. "Some of us are trying to eat here, and that's significantly harder when you start talking about Sasuke and Naruto having sex."

Sakura and Naruto got quiet, and everyone continued to eat. Suddenly, Hinata looked up from her lunch and spoke up. "S-Sasuke, you might want to turn around." Sasuke listened and turned around, and was incredibly surprised to see who had just entered the cafeteria. Why would he come to school?

"Sasuke," Itachi called out with a smile on his face. That was what tipped Sasuke off. Itachi only smiled when it came to Sasuke if he was about to embarrass or humiliate him somehow, like when Naruto came over to his house the other day. Otherwise, Itachi was incredibly apathetic towards his brother. The fact that he looked happy right now was clearly a red light.

He walked over towards Sasuke's table with that shit-eating grin on his face. "What do you want?" Sasuke asked venomously, hoping that he could avoid being humiliated in front of the whole school. What gave Itachi the right to do this? What kind of security did this school have?

"Oh, little brother," Itachi said with that grin that made Sasuke want to scream. "You forgot you lunch at home. He gave Sasuke a paper bag, which Sasuke looked at momentarily. Written in sharpie were the words _I heard about you and Naruto_. Sasuke growled and put the paper bag on the table. How could Itachi find out already?

"We both know I don't bring my lunch," Sasuke said as Sakura began to look through the bag. He had no idea what Itachi wanted from –. He turned around and quickly snatched the bag from Sakura, whose face was red, and looked through the contents himself. "Condoms?" he asked incredulously. "Really Itachi?"

"I didn't want to embarrass you in front of your friends, Sasuke," Itachi said with the fakest smile Sasuke had ever seen. His voice got slightly louder "But if you want to announce to the whole school that I had to bring you condoms, then go ahead." Conversations started stopping around the cafeteria as people hushed to listen in. Sasuke could see Naruto's usual table across the cafeteria staring at the table in a mix of amusement and embarrassment. Sasuke looked at the rest of his table for help, but he saw Gaara trying to contain a smirk, which pissed him off even more. It figures that the one time he shows emotion, it's glee towards Sasuke's predicament. Well, maybe not glee. No one should ever use the words 'Gaara' and 'glee' in the same sentence. Ever.

"You two have already started having sex?" Sakura exclaimed all-too-loudly for Sasuke's liking. Leave it to her to fall right into Itachi's trap.

"_No_," Sasuke and Naruto insisted at the same time. In response, Gaara reached out and grabbed the bag.

"No point in letting these go to waste," he said, starting to put the paper bag in his backpack. Sasuke almost facepalmed. He was surrounded by idiots, assholes, and freaks. And why the hell was Gaara taking condoms? It's not like he would use them.

"Oh Sasuke," Itachi said with a smirk. "I could almost believe you if I didn't hear all those _sounds_ last night." Speaking of sounds, with the exception of Itachi's voice, the cafeteria was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, and every single person could hear Itachi's every word. "Even _I've_ never been able to go six rounds in a row."

Squeals could be heard from the SasuNaru fangirls, while growls and cries could be heard from the anti-Naruto fangirls. A lot of guys around the room started coughing disgustedly, and if you listened _really_ closely, you could hear some chuckling under the breath of one giant asshole who was standing right in front of Sasuke. His only consolation was that he was not alone in his humiliation; Naruto was just as horrified, maybe even moreso.

"You better learn to sleep with one eye open," Sasuke threatened.

"I probably won't be able to go to sleep, anyway," Itachi said with a shrug. "Not with you and Naruto two rooms away. It's surprising how loud I can hear you two when the walls are so thick." Sasuke was starting to physically shake from anger, and he honestly considered punching his brother right now. Could he be suspended for that?

"Oh, Sasuke," Itachi moaned, pretending to imitate Naruto, or at least how Naruto would have sounded if he and Sasuke _did_ fuck six times last night. "Yeah, you're so tight." It took him a moment to understand what his brother was implying, but when the realization hit, his jaw dropped.

He just implied that Sasuke was bottom. And he couldn't object without breaking his rules with Naruto. The trembling with anger returned, and Sasuke was about to tackle Itachi to the ground, he felt a hand touch his own and looked over at Naruto, who had a serious expression on his face. Somehow, the small action seemed to calm Sasuke slightly, but he still couldn't figure out how to escape this situation.

Thank god the bell rang, because Sasuke couldn't handle any more of this. Itachi gave him a taunting smirk, so Sasuke just grabbed his backpack, stood up, and pushed past Itachi, shoving him out of the way. As soon as Sasuke was out of the cafeteria, Naruto got up to chase him, and the rest of the student body decided the fun was over and they should move on to their next class.

Sasuke didn't really care anymore at this point. He decided he was going to blow off the rest of the period, and maybe even the period after that. He just needed something to calm him down. He passed the security guard, who called out to him, but Sasuke didn't listen. He knew he'd probably end up with a detention for skipping, but he couldn't care less.

He heard Naruto shouting after him, and briefly wondered why Naruto would follow him out like that. Naruto should have gone ahead to class. Sasuke kept walking though, he wasn't ready to turn around and face him. But Naruto was persistent, and before they were two blocks away from the school, Naruto had caught up to him.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked angrily, trying to keep himself from completely falling apart. He can't believe he was so humiliated!

"What the fuck just happened back there?" Naruto asked.

"Itachi happened," Sasuke told him, not looking at him. "You saw how he was when you came over to the mansion. He made comments to you for the sole purpose of embarrassing me. This was no different. It was just…harsher than usual." He looked over at the blond again. "You should go back to class."

"So should you," Naruto stated.

"I'm not going back to class," Sasuke said simply. "I think I'm going to my uncle's bar. I need a drink after all the shit that just went down."

"Then I'm coming with you," Naruto decided. "I don't have a fake, but you can get me something."

"Why?" Sasuke asked suspiciously. "Why do you want to come with me?"

"It was just as embarrassing for me," Naruto said, matter-of-factly. "Besides, I can't let you drink alone. You'd look too pathetic." Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned around, but Naruto followed him. Instead of continuing down the street, they turned around and got Sasuke's car from the parking lot before heading into the city.

Mangekyo was an old bar that had been around since before Prohibition. After his family moved to the US, Sasuke's father bought the bar. When he and his mother decided to settle down, they decided to sell it to Sasuke's uncle Madara. Madara looked exactly the same as his brother Fugaku, just slightly older. Their personalities, however, couldn't be more far apart.

Madara wasn't there that day. Instead, the bar was being overseen and tended to by Danzo, one of Madara's best workers. Danzo was older than dirt, but he did a good job, so it didn't really matter much. He'd been with the bar since Sasuke's parents owned it.

"Hello there, Sasuke," Danzo said when he saw the raven enter with Naruto. "Who's your friend?"

"No one important, Danzo," Sasuke replied, earning a 'hey!' from Naruto that both Sasuke and Danzo ignored. "I'll have my usual." Danzo's face suddenly darkened.

"Sasuke, you know I can't do that," the old man said.

"I know my uncle's not here," Sasuke said, sitting down on a bar stood. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, don't you think he'd rather I drink under the safe watch of his most trusted worker than at some dive bar where nobody could watch over me?" Sasuke knew exactly how to manipulate this old man, and it worked like a charm. He didn't like it, but he ended up giving Sasuke a gin and tonic.

"Can I get something fruity?" Naruto asked Danzo, and the bartender obliged. Sasuke rolled his eyes as a pink drink with an orange umbrella was placed in front of the blond. "He doesn't even care that we're not twenty-one?" Naruto asked Sasuke as he drank his drink.

"You're with me," Sasuke said simply. "Besides, they're not too strict. My Uncle Madara has ways to keep the police from busting them as long as he doesn't make a reputation as the place for underage drinking."

"Why did Danzo not want to serve you?" Naruto asked the raven, to which Sasuke shrugged.

"I had a small problem a few years ago with alcohol," he explained simply. "Kakashi and Uncle Madara agreed that I can't be allowed to drink anymore, so they cut me off. But that was a while ago. I'm not so bad now."

Sasuke lied.

After about an hour and a half of drinking and talking, Naruto had just finished his second drink, while Sasuke was finishing his eighth. Naruto found casual drinking to be okay, but Sasuke was just being ridiculous. No one could argue that Sasuke _wasn't_ drunk off his face. Of course, Naruto didn't particularly mind drunk Sasuke. He was a lot more fun and loose. Maybe he could even glean a secret out of him if he tried. Which girl he liked, or something else ridiculously embarrassing.

Not that Naruto wanted to embarrass him after today; but if he had some leverage over the Uchiha, it would make life easier. After the way Sasuke manipulated him into pretending to be his boyfriend, he had to admit that the Uchiha was devious. In fact, he could almost call Itachi's surprise at lunch just desserts.

"So what happened next?" Naruto asked the drunk raven. "Gaara just went home?"

"Nope," Sasuke said with a slur. "Nah, Gaara…he decided to go to a different party and make out with that bitch's boyfriend." Sasuke started hysterically laughing at the tale, and even Naruto could admit it was a little funny. But still…

"Gaara's gay?" Naruto asked.

"Duh," Sasuke slurred, not realizing he just outed his best friend. "He likes to joke around about it a lot though. The party story, not the gay thing. He takes that seriously."

"Wouldn't you?" Naruto asked with a chuckle. Sasuke snorted in response and simply said, "no." Naruto called over Danzo "Maybe we should cut him off. I'm not looking forward to driving him home." Danzo nodded, but Sasuke got offended.

"Hey, what's the big idea, dickhole?" Sasuke asked. "I'm not drunk."

"Sure you're not," Naruto said with as much sarcasm in his voice as he could muster.

"I'm _not_," Sasuke insisted, standing up. "Look, I'mma walk a straight line and show you." Sasuke slowly tried to walk a straight line behind their bar stools, but tripped right as Naruto turned around to watch. Sasuke ended up falling on top of Naruto, between his legs. Naruto was too startled to move, but Sasuke lifted his head, looking into Naruto's eyes.

He never really noticed his eyes before. They were a deep blue, somewhat like Deidara's, but not as dark. His hair was similar too. It might not be as long, but it was certainly the same color. Without a thought in his head, Sasuke raised his hand to run through Naruto's hair. It felt like sunshine. "You look like Deidara," Sasuke explained before pressing his lips to the blonde's.

Naruto froze when he felt Sasuke's lips against his. His first instinct was to push away, but he momentarily wondered what Sasuke meant by 'You look like Deidara.' Who was Deidara? Was he talking about that guy who was a senior when they were freshmen? That was the only Deidara he'd ever met.

Sasuke opened his mouth and swiped his tongue against Naruto's closed lips, asking for entrance. This was probably what made Naruto realized that they were _kissing_ in the middle of a _bar_, and pulled away quickly. He stood up, accidentally dropping Sasuke to the ground, and ran out of the bar. When Sasuke got up, he looked out the door and then back at the remainder of his drink.

Danzo told Sasuke he was going to call someone to take him home, and Sasuke told him to call Gaara, giving him his phone. He didn't want Itachi or Kakashi to see him like this. After a bit, he got up and walked to the bathroom, hoping to splash his face with water to sober him up, even just a little bit.

When he looked up at the mirror, he saw a man behind him, giving him a glare. He was muscular and tall, with reddish-brown hair and red eyes that looked to be more slits than circles. He had an evil aura about him, and he creeped Sasuke out.

"Who was that boy you kissed?" he asked, his voice about as rough and sratchy as Sasuke would suspect. In his drunken state, Sasuke scoffed, not understanding the danger of his situation.

"That's nunya business, mister," Sasuke said with an attempted glare in his voice.

"I asked you a question," the man said, slowly approaching Sasuke.

"Do you know who I am?" Sasuke asked loudly. "My uncle owns this bar, and I'll have you kicked out. So stop being so…mean." The intimidating man got closer, but the door to the bathroom opened and Gaara stepped in, causing the man to back off.

"What's going on here?" Gaara asked.

"Gaara!" Sasuke exclaimed. He pointed towards the big guy. "This guy's been mean to me. Make him cry. Do your evil glare." Gaara rolled his eyes. When Sasuke was drunk, he was probably louder and more obnoxious than Sakura.

"Where did Naruto go?" Gaara asked Sasuke, moving to support the teen as they walked out.

"He ditched me after I kissed him," Sasuke said with a scoff as they left the bathroom. "Some boyfriend he is." The door slammed shut behind them, and Gaara led Sasuke out to his car. They would come and pick up Sasuke's some other time. Until then, he had to get Sasuke back to the school and to Kakashi without Principal Tsunade seeing him.

Luckily, they made it back to school before Kakashi's class, and Gaara managed to sneak Sasuke in past the security guard. He walked Sasuke up the stairs to where Kakashi's office was located. Kakashi was somewhat shocked to see the raven in such a state, but helped Gaara bring him to the psychology classroom.

"I'll just post a note saying that class is canceled today," Kakashi said, getting a pen and a piece of paper from the teacher's desk.

"I don't get why you're all makin' such a big deal about this," Sasuke said, barely even trying not to slur anymore. "I'm perf'ctly fine guys."

"You're not perfectly fine, Sasuke," Kakashi said, taping the note to the door. "You're gonna tell me why you did this, and you're going to tell me now."

"Make. Me." Sasuke said, sounding like a petulant four-year-old. Gaara rolled his eyes and decided to fill Kakashi in on Itachi's antics regarding Sasuke and Naruto, going on to explain that Sasuke and Naruto are together.

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, you say Naruto and Sasuke are together?" he asked. "Great. Go get Naruto. Tell him he still has class today. His job is to drive Sasuke back to the mansion and get him into bed. Then he's to come straight back here for the next period."

"There's a problem," Gaara said. "Apparently Naruto and Sasuke got into some sort of tiff at the bar. Knowing Sasuke, he probably did something incredibly stupid." Kakashi sighed. "I'll go get him anyway, and I'll explain everything to him."

"Thank you," Kakashi said, hoping that Gaara could convince Naruto to do this for him. His prayers were answered. Twenty minutes later – right before the bell to the next class rang – Gaara returned with Naruto in tow.

"I'll take him home," Naruto said awkwardly, eyeing the now unconscious Uchiha sitting at a chair.

Naruto had only been at the Uchiha mansion once before, so he was amazed that he was able to remember how to get there. He got basic directions from Kakashi and Gaara as they helped sneak Sasuke out into the parking lot, and managed to get there without issue. His bigger problem was getting Sasuke into the mansion while avoiding Itachi.

"Sasuke," Naruto urged, shaking the Uchiha to wake him up. He lightly slapped Sasuke's cheeks before he reached in the back seat to grab a half-empty bottle of water. He uncapped it and poured the water down Sasuke's head. The reaction wasn't instantaneous, but it was there. Sasuke groggily woke up. "Sasuke, we're home. Mr. Hatake wants me to put you into bed for him."

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked, not really sure what was going on.

"I'm gonna unbuckle your seat and then come around to open your door, okay?" Naruto asked, doing as he told Sasuke he would. After he opened up the passenger side door, he helped Sasuke out, and caught him when he stumbled. "Let's get you upstairs, alright?" He supported Sasuke as he stood up and walked towards the mansion and walked up the stairs to the bedroom. Luckily, they were able to avoid Itachi.

Naruto helped Sasuke take off his now-wet shirt and get into bed. He was just about to leave the Uchiha alone when Sasuke called out.

"Why did you do that for me?" Sasuke asked, still drunk off his ass. "I d'dn't ask you f'r help."

"You told me you had a problem with alcohol, and I let you drink way past your limit," Naruto explained. "When Gaara told me you were barely standing on your own, I felt guilty, so I told him I'd help. Now I have to get back to class."

"There's only one class left," Sasuke said, looking at the clock. "Stay with me." Naruto considered leaving, but decided that it wouldn't hurt to miss class. He didn't really need to deal with Jiraya's health class. As much as he loved the guy – he was practically his godfather – he couldn't handle how perverse he could be. Instead, he sat down on the foot of the bed.

"'m sorry f'r kissin' you," Sasuke mumbled, turning over in the bed so he was facing the blond. "I sh'dn't h've done that."

"Why did you, then?" Naruto asked, wondering if Sasuke would even remember this conversation the next day.

"Dunno," Sasuke admitted, trying to stay awake to talk to the blond.

"Sasuke, are you…" Naruto began, but he trailed off. Would it be crossing a line to ask the question? Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at him expectantly. "Y'know…gay?"

Sasuke's face broke out into a smirk. "Why, Nar'to? D'ya wanna fuck me?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Naruto couldn't tell whether to be horrified or amused.

"Are you?" he asked, and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"No, I jus' like ta kiss guys," Sasuke said in a happy tone of voice. "But 'm not _gay_." Naruto furrowed his brows. Was Sasuke trying to make a joke? Be sarcastic? "Of course I am." Sasuke looked like he was going to continue talking, but he fell asleep instead. And Naruto was relieved. He didn't want to have to deal with this right now. Instead, he hightailed it out of the Uchiha mansion.

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	4. Revelations & Diagnoses

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Sasuke, or Sakura, or Ino, or Shikamaru, or…well, you get the picture.**

_**WARNING: THERE IS A GRAPHIC RAPE SCENE IN THIS CHAPTER. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO READ IT, THEN SKIP IT. THE SCENE BEGINS WITH THE DOUBLE SCENE BREAK.**_

**This is the rewritten version, revised on 9-20-12. This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Four: Revelations & Diagnoses

Sasuke woke up the next morning with the most raging headache. He could barely get out of bed, it was so bad. And he had school in less than ten minutes, he realized, looking at the clock. That was for the best. Now that he didn't really have a choice to be late, he could choose to stay home a little while longer to recover.

What happened yesterday? He tried to run through the events of the day. He remembered Naruto. They were going to start pretending to date yesterday, right? Sasuke gloated about it in front of Kiba during English, and he gossiped about it with Sakura and Tenten during lunch. He could remember that. Then it all came back to him.

Lunch.

Itachi.

Drinking.

The Kiss.

"Fuck," Sasuke grumbled as he buried his head in his hands. He made a complete ass of himself yesterday! Not only did he kiss Naruto, but he came on to him when Naruto was trying to leave, and _came out of the fucking closet_. Could he have done anything worse? Now he remembered why he didn't drink anymore.

After a few minutes of silent contemplation (read: brooding) over the events of the last day, Sasuke got up and decided he should take a shower. He smelled like alcohol and filth. That was the first thing he had to fix. After a fairly long shower, Sasuke got dressed and headed downstairs.

Luckily for him, his brother had already left for class. Sasuke didn't know if he could face Itachi. He didn't want his brother to know that he got to him so deeply. He opened up a cabinet and found the stash of asprin, taking two for his headache. He then went over to the coffee machine and starting making some coffee. If he was going to be late to school, the least he could do was show up _not_ looking like a total mess.

By the time he was ready, it was almost afternoon time. Sasuke knew that when he got to the school, it would be lunchtime, or close enough that it wasn't worth going to his next class. He was still completely beat, and didn't exactly want to socialize with anyone – not even his friends, and especially not Naruto.

When he got to the school, the security guard started giving him some shit about being late, but Sasuke couldn't really give a flying fuck. It was the security guard; what was _he_ gonna do? Instead, Sasuke made his way towards the back of the school where the cafeteria was located. Luckily, lunch periods started next period with his lunch, so there was no one in the entire cafeteria. He picked a nice, small table in a corner that he knew no one ever used and decided to lie his head down for a nap.

The bell rang, and students started trickling into the cafeteria. After about a minute, most of the students who had lunch were pouring into the room, and the volume of the room had gone up at least ten decibels. After a few minutes, his head was pounding too hard to stay there, so he got up and walked out the cafeteria. His eyes briefly met those of them who were at his table, but none of them followed him. They could tell that he needed to be alone.

He decided he would go up on the roof. The fresh air would do him some good, and it would be quiet. No one ever went up on the roof. He settled in for a nice, relaxing, mini-nap until the bell rang, but unfortunately, he was disturbed. He heard someone climbing the meal steps to the roof, and he wasn't surprised when the door opened. What _did_ surprise him was _who_ followed him up here.

"What do you want, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, wincing at the sunlight in his eyes. He closed his eyes once more and laid his head against the brick doorway frame.

"We have to have a talk now that you're sober," Naruto said. "About our deal."

"Fuck the deal," Sasuke said, surprising even himself. "We both know you want this to end. I kissed you, I came out to you, and I made you sacrifice your afternoon to take care of me like I'm a baby. I get it. No hard feelings. Just go away." He waited to hear Naruto leaving, but he was disappointed. He peaked an eye open and saw Naruto still standing there.

"So you were telling the truth?" Naruto asked, biting his lower lip. "You're gay?"

"I already told you that, dumbass," Sasuke said, closing his eye once more. "Big, gigantic, flaming queer right here. Don't get too close to me or I might infect you with 'the gay'."

"You don't have to be an asshole about it," Naruto said defensively. "I don't have anything against gay people. I'm just…not one of them…you."

"On behalf of all gays everywhere, I thank you," Sasuke said angrily. He didn't even know why he was so angry. "Are you happy? You're free. Go spin whatever bullshit story you want about how we broke up. Better yet, why don't you tell everyone that I blackmailed you into dating me. I can't be humiliated any more than I already am."

"I don't want to humiliate you, Sasuke," Naruto said. "I wasn't even going to bother you about the deal. I just wanted to talk about the kiss."

"The _kiss_," Sasuke mimicked. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it, Naruto. I was drunk. You look like someone I know. I don't have any feelings for you, and I'm not going to jump your bones. You're free. You don't ever have to see me again."

"You know, you're really pathetic," Naruto said, starting to get just as angry as Sasuke. "I come here to talk to you like a calm, rational person, and you're just hostile for no reason. Well, you know what? When you're done having your little pity party and decide to act like a grown up, come find me. Or better yet, _don't_." Naruto turned to walk away, but Sasuke stood up.

"You think you're so much better than me, huh?" Sasuke asked. "You've known me for, what, five days? And already, you know that I'm an 'alcoholic,' and that I don't have parents. You know that the only relatives I have left couldn't give a damn about me, and that I am harassed on a near daily basis.

"You told me that you only helped me yesterday because you felt _guilty_. That it was _your fault_ I drank so much. Guess what, Naruto? I knew exactly how much I was drinking; that was nowhere near my grand total of drinks in a single day. You looked at me, though, and thought to yourself 'He's so pathetic; he really needs someone to take care of him.' And you're doing it again. Following me up here because I'm too pathetic to be all alone. What, you think I might throw myself off the roof?"

"That's not what I thought at all," Naruto said.

"We talked about the kiss yesterday, Naruto," Sasuke said. "I told you everything you needed to know. You didn't come up here to talk about the kiss. You either came up here to bask in how much better your life is than mine – it's karma after what I did to you, right? – or you came up here because you feel like you need to babysit me." He maneuvered himself so that Naruto was caught between him and the door. "I DON'T NEED YOU TO BABYSIT ME!" he shouted, causing Naruto to wince. "I'm doing perfectly fine on my own. So go away and leave me the _fuck_ alone!"

That was it. Sasuke thought he'd won. But instead of doing what any normal, rational person would do, Naruto decided to catch Sasuke off guard. He flipped them around so that the raven was pinned to the door. Sasuke glared into those blue eyes that reminded him so much of Deidara's, and realized that he was wrong yesterday. Naruto and Deidara didn't look anything alike. Not when you looked closely.

"I don't know what your problem is," Naruto whispered dangerously. "I don't know why you've decided to lash out at me. I just came up here to check on you, see if you were okay. I don't think that I'm responsible for you, and I don't want to _gloat_ about how much _better_ my life is than yours. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure that my life is _worse_ than yours.

"But I'm not going to waste my time and my breath having a pity party like you," Naruto said. "I have friends who love me, and so do you. Instead of lashing out at anyone who wants to help you, why don't you try to stop being an asshole?" Sasuke expected Naruto to walk away, but instead, he stayed like that. Their faces were a few inches apart, but Sasuke could smell Naruto's breath from where he was. He smelled like peppermint, even after eating his lunch. How was that possible?

Naruto looked deep into Sasuke's eyes, searching for…something. He didn't know what. All he knew was that he couldn't look away. Sasuke was mesmerized by the blonde's blue orbs, and Naruto was mesmerized by the raven's black spheres. Neither of them was pulling away, and Sasuke didn't know what that meant.

Then he saw it. It was so quick he almost missed it, but he definitely saw Naruto's eyes lower to his lips for a moment before returning to look at Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke knew what that meant, even if he was reluctant to believe it. When Naruto still didn't move, Sasuke decided to move his head forward. It wasn't too much – barely an inch. But it was enough that Naruto noticed, and he didn't move away.

Sasuke slowly tilted his head. Was he going to go for it? He was breathing heavily now, although so was Naruto. He could feel the blonde's breath, and he was sure the same could be said for Naruto. Neither of them wanted to be the one to close the distance, but Sasuke knew they both wanted it. Even if Naruto wasn't sure he wanted it.

Then, the moment was gone. Naruto pulled his head away, slightly embarrassed that he'd almost let Sasuke…do _that_ again. He couldn't even _think_ that word. But as Naruto moved his head away, Sasuke realized he couldn't let the moment go. Instead, he reached out and grabbed the back of Naruto's head, feeling his fingers inside those blond strands once more. He pulled Naruto's mouth to his own and initiated the kiss.

One of two things would happen now. Either Naruto would give in to the kiss or he would push Sasuke away. If he pushed Sasuke away…the raven didn't know what he'd do. It was one thing to kiss someone when drunk. It was a totally different thing to kiss them again when sober. Now he would have no more excuses.

Luckily for him, Naruto didn't push him away. He didn't exactly react to the kiss at all. Sasuke decided to make the same move that caused Naruto to pull away last time, and he swiped Naruto's lip with his tongue. This time, though, when Sasuke widened his mouth, Naruto followed, allowing Sasuke entrance.

This was completely different than yesterday. Yesterday was a complete disaster. This… This was amazing. Sasuke had had some pretty fantastic kisses in his life, but none compared to this. Naruto threatened to overwhelm Sasuke with his smell, his taste, and Sasuke was willing to let him. Even though Naruto wasn't as active a participant as Sasuke, he was still participating, and Sasuke couldn't forget it.

This is _Naruto_. How is this feeling so good? I don't even like him.

But suddenly, he understood what people meant when they talked about sparks. He felt his stomach bubble up, but that was probably nerves. He felt a chill go through his body, and pulled Naruto's body closer to him so that their clothed chests were pressing close together.

Finally, Naruto made his mind about the kiss. He started to move his own tongue against Sasuke's both appendages dancing together gracefully. Sasuke briefly wondered if he tasted half as good to Naruto as Naruto did to him. He hoped so. He was grateful of all the extra brushing this morning.

Suddenly, something strange happened, and Naruto jumped away like Sasuke's touch burned him. He fell to his butt, looking up at Sasuke with flushed cheeks before averting his gaze away.

"Th-That was a mistake," Naruto said suddenly. "I shouldn't have let you do that. _You_ shouldn't have done it. I thought you said you didn't have feelings for me, that you wouldn't kiss me again." Sasuke felt angry all over again. In those few short moments, he invested himself completely in that kiss, and this rejection was almost painful.

"I don't have feelings for you," Sasuke said, not exactly sure if he was telling the truth. "I only kissed you because you wanted it." He stood up straighter, more confident in himself. "You _wanted_ it. You _kissed back_. You _liked it_."

"No!" Naruto objected quickly, getting back on his feet. "I-I'm not like that." He looked panicked, and Sasuke almost felt bad for him. Was this the first time he considered being gay? "I'm straight!" he yelled.

"Sure you are," Sasuke said sarcastically. "Straight people always let other guys kiss them. Straight people always _kiss back_."

"Shut up!" Naruto said, pinning Sasuke back against the wall. This time, their mouths weren't close, and Naruto had a fist ready to punch the Uchiha.

"Go on," Sasuke said with a glare. "Do it," he dared. Suddenly, Naruto's eyes went wide and he backed away again. He was starting to shake. He looked almost horrified. "You don't have it in you, Naruto," Sasuke said, but he wasn't sure that the blond heard him. "You know I'm right."

Instead of yelling denials like Sasuke predicted, Naruto shoved Sasuke out of the way and ran through the doorway, down the steps. Sasuke could hear sobs echo through the corridor, and he wondered if he caused them. _'Of course you caused them,'_ he admonished. When those footsteps were finally all faded away, Sasuke heard another pair – softer – climbing up the stairs. He threw his head back against the wall as Ino appeared at the doorway.

"What do _you_ want?" Sasuke asked, starting to get angry at himself for stopping Naruto from leaving before. Then, maybe none of this would have happened. "Naruto just left."

"I saw," Ino said, looking at Sasuke with an ironclad glare. "I saw him crying. He was perfectly happy until he came up here to check on you. I won't let you keep fucking with him. This is the _last _time."

"You don't have to fight Naruto's battles for him," Sasuke informed her. "He's quite capable of doing it himself." Suddenly, he looked at her with a confused expression. "Your last name's not 'Uzumaki,' is it?"

"No," Ino said, confused as to the change of conversation. "Why?"

"Well, you're Naruto's sister or something, right?" Sasuke asked. "Different fathers?"

"Mothers," Ino told him, earning a slightly surprised look. From Sasuke's experience, most people only have different last names from their siblings when the fathers are different. "Why does that matter?"

"I want to know more about him," Sasuke admitted. "He told me that his life has been worse than mine is." She showed no signs of comprehension. "If you knew anything about my life, you'd understand why I don't really believe it."

"Well, believe it," Ino told him. "I'm not going into details, but it would be hard to top his life in a contest about shitty lives."

"Go on," Sasuke urged, earning an incredulous look from Ino.

"Why would I tell you anything about Naruto's life?" she asked. "All you've done is make it harder for him, and he's had enough troubles that he deserves a stress-free senior year."

"If you don't ask me, I can just ask him," Sasuke suggested.

"Stay away from Naruto," the blonde warned.

"Then tell me," Sasuke said simply. "Besides, I'm part of the family now, right?" he asked with a smirk. Ino looked at him with another look of incredulous anger before she slapped him across the face.

"Don't go pretending like Naruto _likes_ you," Ino said, her eyes narrowed at the Uchiha. "The only reason Naruto has said five words to you in the last few days is because you've been blackmailing him. You humiliated him the other day just like your brother did to you yesterday." Sasuke froze. Was he really that cruel? The look in Ino's eyes told him that yes, he was. "This wasn't the first time you made him cry." Sasuke looked at her with pure shock in his face. Did he…really do that?

"If Naruto can't handle a few people whispering behind his back –" Sasuke began, not really knowing why he was making excuses for himself. He knew exactly how that felt.

"You're such an asshole!" Ino yelled. "If you knew _half_ of what Naruto's been through –"

"That's why I want you to _tell me_," Sasuke interrupted. "I want to know more about him." He stopped, and Ino looked at him peculiarly. "I don't know why," he said suddenly. "But I need to know more about him." He stepped back, away from Ino. He couldn't even think straight anymore. Anytime he saw Naruto's face, he saw Itachi's face as well. And when he thought about the sob Naruto let out before, it reminded him of the sobs he barely contained yesterday.

"Well, you're shit out of luck," Ino said matter-of-factly. "I don't want you to go anywhere near Naruto anymore. Just forget you ever met him. If you don't, you'll have to answer to _me_."

"He kissed me," Sasuke said suddenly, as Ino turned to leave. She stopped in her tracks and turned around.

"What?" she asked, not sure if she really heard Sasuke right. Was he lying?

"Well, technically, I kissed him," Sasuke admitted. "But he kissed me back. He liked it; I could tell. He might not know it yet, but he likes guys." Ino was looking at him with wide eyes. "That's why he left. It wasn't because I said something mean – although I did say a couple of mean things. After the kiss, he got all defensive, saying that he wasn't gay. I tried to tell him that it was okay, but he just ran off." Ino just rolled her eyes. Great. Trust Sasuke Uchiha to make this complicated. "Please," he urged. "Tell me more about him."

Ino didn't know what it was, but something about Sasuke made her want to tell him. She didn't know if it was the look he had on his face that made him look as confused as Naruto must have been after their kiss, or if it was the way that he seemed so genuine in wanting to know about Naruto. In the end, she sighed and decided to tell him.

"I guess that I should start by telling you that Naruto and I aren't _really_ brother and sister," she said. "My father adopted him a few years ago. Naruto and I had been friends for years, and Naruto was already like a part of the family before…" she paused. "Before we found out."

Sasuke was about to ask for clarification, but she continued before he had a chance. "We had no idea, honestly. Apparently, it had been going on for a long time. Eventually, though, Naruto came clean. He told me and my father that Kyuubi – his biological father – was abusing him. Naturally, we told the police. Kyuubi was arrested and Naruto was put in our father's custody.

"Somehow, Kyuubi managed to evade charges," Ino said. "We still don't know how he did it, but the courts declared Naruto should enter foster custody. Instead, my dad decided to just adopt Naruto, so that Naruto was legally his son. We were already as close as siblings before this happened, and we're even closer now." She saw the questioning look Sasuke gave her, and she rolled her eyes. "Not _that_ close.

"Even though Dad made sure that the three of us had a restraining order out against Kyuubi, it didn't stop him from harassing us constantly," Ino continued. "He would constantly bully Naruto – more verbally than physically at this point. He would degrade him, make him feel like shit. A few months ago, Kyuubi broke into our house to kidnap Naruto, and he almost got away with it. But when he was leading Naruto out, Dad saw them and got his gun out. He told Kyuubi that if he ever saw his face again, he wouldn't hesitate to kill him."

"Why would Naruto willingly go with him?" Sasuke asked, horrified.

"I don't know," Ino admitted. "Kyuubi has some sort of sick hold on Naruto. No matter how much he's done to him, Naruto still sees Kyuubi as his father. He loves Dad, don't get me wrong. But when Kyuubi sweet talks him – tells him that he's changed and they can go live a great life far away – Naruto is too scared to say no."

Sasuke was disturbed by this story. Suddenly, he could understand why Naruto would claim that his life was worse than Sasuke's, and Sasuke was just about willing to believe him after Ino's story. He felt a wave of guilt wash over him, and came to a decision.

"I have to apologize to him," Sasuke said suddenly. Ino's first reaction was to tell Sasuke to stay away from Naruto, but something about the way he reacted stopped her.

Instead, she sighed and said "come with me."

* * *

Naruto was breathless when he finally reached his house. It was close enough that he didn't have to take Ino's car to go home from school, and for the first time in his life, he was eternally grateful. He couldn't stay there a second longer.

Who in the hell did Sasuke think he was, anyway? He was just a lousy, self-pitying asshole who should rot in hell! What gives him the right to make Naruto feel like this? Like he could possibly be…no – he wasn't. It wasn't even a possibility.

He shoved the door open quickly and shut it behind him, locking the door again. He needed to occupy himself with something to get his mind off the Uchiha. Suddenly, he heard the sound of the television in the other room, and he got confused.

"Inoichi?" he called out. Normally his foster father would be out at work. What could he be doing back so soon? He walked down the hallway to the living room, and was shocked by who he saw standing there in front of him. "Dad?" he asked. He looked completely different than he did that night. Naruto could immediately tell he was drunk. Naruto had learned how to tell when he was young. When Kyuubi was drunk, Naruto tried to stay out of his way as much as possible.

Kyuubi was sitting on the couch as if he sat there every day. It was peculiar seeing him there. The only time Kyuubi had been in the house…Naruto would never forget the sight of one of his fathers pointing a gun at the other. Kyuubi looked up from the magazine he was reading and sent Naruto a cold glance.

"Naruto," the man said. "Come in." Naruto didn't know what to do. Rational thought told him to just get out and run away. He eyed the door nervously out of the corner of his eyes, but Kyuubi saw it. "Aren't you glad to see your loving dad?"

"Get out," Naruto said immediately. Kyuubi looked at him with an amused expression. The man's pointed teeth showed through his mouth. Kyuubi's looks were anything but normal. He had reddish-brown hair, and his eyes were two red orbs, with slits instead of pupils. He had a canine look about him.

"We have some business to attend to first," Kyuubi said to his son, his smirk not fading.

"I'm going to tell you one more time before I call the police," Naruto threatened, trying to put on a brave front. "Get out, _Kyuubi_," Naruto said.

"Only ungrateful bastards call their parents by their given name," Kyuubi informed the blond. Naruto walked over towards the landline, hoping to dial 9-1-1 before Kyuubi could hurt him, but when he picked up the phone, there was no dial tone. The wire was cut. Naruto turned around quickly to face his father, sudden fear in his eyes. Kyuubi had the same amused expression, and suddenly produced a gun. He laid it on the arm of the sofa, pointed right at Naruto. He took his hands off it, but it still unnerved Naruto.

"Sit down," Kyuubi commanded. Naruto made to sit at the arm chair across from the sofa, but Kyuubi tsked him. "On the floor," he said, motioning to the open spot of carpeting in front of the sofa. Naruto wasn't really in a position to argue or resist, so he followed instructions. "I've heard some very…disturbing rumors, my son."

"What sort of rumors?" Naruto asked, scared at the glint in his father's eyes.

"That my son's a faggot," Kyuubi said, picking the gun up and putting it on his lap. "You see, I _see_ things, Naruto. Like yesterday. I was minding my own business, drinking it up at a fine establishment in the city." Naruto's eyes widened in shock and fear. "Wouldn't you know my surprise when my loving son walks in with some black-haired kid? I figured, 'he's just there to get away from school; they're hanging out.' That was, of course, until I saw that black-haired faggot kiss you. And you weren't all that quick to stop him, were you?"

"I'm sorry," Naruto said quickly, afraid of what Kyuubi would do to him. He knew his father was one of the evilest, cruelest people in the world. And he also happened to be a raging homophobe. "I didn't kiss him; he kissed me!"

Kyuubi ignored him. "I figured I would follow them," he continued. "See what y'all got up to. Next thing I know, you're carrying him out to a car and driving him home. What a sweet boyfriend, you are. Do you take care of him just as well when he's six inches deep in your ass?"

"I swear I'm not gay!" Naruto exclaimed. "Sasuke! He's the one. He kissed me!"

"No son of mine is a faggot," Kyuubi said, standing up from the sofa, gun in hand. He gave Naruto an evil glint. "I know I raised you better than that."

"I'm sorry!" Naruto sobbed, scared of what Kyuubi brought the gun for. "I swear I'm not gay. I promise I'll never see him again."

"Sasuke Uchiha," Kyuubi said, looking at the gun as if it was something he had just noticed. "His extended family's been involved in the mob for years. His parents – they were the good Samaritans. They were the ones who backed away from the family business. It didn't stop their family's enemies from going after them and killing them."

Naruto was silent as Kyuubi spoke about Sasuke's family. How did he know so much about the Uchiha family history? And more importantly, how did he know who Sasuke was? Naruto's fear was growing greater by the second.

"Kakashi Hatake, your psychology teacher, took him in," Kyuubi continued. "Isn't that great. Sasuke learns psychology from his guardian Kakashi while you learn health from your godfather Jiraya." He chuckled. "His brother is currently a junior at Konoha University. He and Sasuke don't really have a great relationship."

"What do you want?" Naruto asked with a sob. He couldn't let Kyuubi keep rattling off facts that he shouldn't know. It was even more unnerving than the gun, if that was possible.

"I want to ensure that you're not the faggot I think you are," Kyuubi said with a glare. "Then I'm going to take one bullet and put it through that faggot Uchiha's head. Don't worry, I'll still save some for Inoichi and Ino. And I might even throw in Tsunade and Jiraya as well. They never really liked me after what happened with your mother and I."

"Please don't," Naruto pleaded. "I'm not gay. You don't have to do this."

"I do," Kyuubi. "After what happens now, I'll be sure that you're not a faggot." Naruto slowly started to move away as Kyuubi approached him. "After today, you won't ever want to take it up the ass again!" he roared.

"What do you think you're doing?" Naruto sobbed.

"I'm saving you from those faggots," Kyuubi told his son. "It's all because I love you. Any good father would do the same." Naruto was now backed into a corner, and Kyuubi slowly reached down and pulled him up by his collar so he was standing. The older man slowly touched his son's smooth face. "Now, I can save you one of two ways," Kyuubi said softly. "I can make you stop wanting it," he cocked the gun and pressed it to Naruto's side, "or I can make sure those faggots can't have you." The fear in Naruto's eyes was evident as he looked up at his father.

"Please don't shoot me," Naruto begged, tears starting to fall from his eyes.

"Then get up!" Kyuubi demanded, backing away from the blond a little bit. Naruto picked himself up and brushed himself off. "Now, take off your clothes," Kyuubi commanded.

"No!" Naruto exclaimed. "Please don't make me."

"Do it," Kyuubi said dangerously, pointing the gun at his son. He hesitated, and that was enough for Kyuubi to shoot. The bullet whizzed past Naruto's ears and hit the wall behind him. Kyuubi cocked the gun once more and re-aimed. His father was obviously not playing around.

He slowly tugged at his shirt, nervous as all fuck. What was his father planning on doing? Unfortunately, he had a small inkling. He hoped he was wrong. When he wouldn't procrastinate it anymore, he pulled the shirt above his head, revealing his toned chest.

"Good," Kyuubi said with a grin. "Now the pants." He motioned the gun towards Naruto's pants. Naruto gulped audibly as he kicked off his shoes and unbuttoned his pants, allowing them to fall to the ground. "Now, step out of them and take off those boxers."

Naruto stopped. "Please don't make me. I promise I'll be good; I promise!" Kyuubi shot once more, and this time Naruto almost pissed himself out of fear. He now knew without a doubt what his father wanted, and his choice was between that and death. Which would be worse?

He made his decision, and he lightly touched the top of his boxers nervously. He swallowed his pride and dropped his boxers, revealing his privates. He stood, butt naked, in front of his father, who was still pointing that gun.

"That's a good boy," Kyuubi said. "Come over here," he said, motioning with the gun again. Naruto slowly and nervously obeyed, nearing his father. "Now, get down on your knees."

Naruto wanted to question his father again, but he saw the look in his eyes. That was the blood lusting look that he'd seen so many times. It was the same look he had every time he gave the severe beatings that landed Naruto in the hospital. He had to do what his father said, no matter what.

"Now, unbutton my pants and take out my cock," Kyuubi said.

"I thought you didn't want me to be a f…gay," Naruto said.

"Believe me, after this, you won't want to be gay anymore," Kyuubi said with a sadistic smirk.

"Please don't…r-r-rape me," Naruto said, struggling to summon the word to his lips.

"If that's what it takes, I'll do it" Kyuubi said. "Now unbutton my pants," he repeated. Without an alternative option, Naruto unbuttoned his father's pants and took out his erection. Naruto almost puked at the sight of the throbbing cock. "Now, open your mouth."

"What?" Naruto asked. "Please don't make me –" Naruto's protests were cut off when his father's cock was shoved down his throat, making him gag.

"If I feel any teeth, I'll kill ya," Kyuubi said as he raped his son's mouth. Naruto couldn't do anything but try to breathe whenever his father's cock was pulled out. It was hard, but Naruto managed to stay alive through the torture. His breaths were few and far between, but he had to try to keep breathing. He tried to close his eyes and make the pain go away.

It was a long time, but eventually, Kyuubi grunted as he came down Naruto's throat. It was a bitter taste that almost made Naruto agree that after this, he would never have any urges to be with Sasuke again. Kyuubi pulled out of Naruto's mouth and flipped the boy on his stomach.

"Please stop!" Naruto cried out, starting to struggle again. He didn't care if his father did shoot him. He couldn't let this happen. He tried to crawl away, but Kyuubi had a firm grip on his ankle. "I promise I won't be gay! I swear to god!"

"I know you want to be a good boy," Kyuubi said. "I'm just trying to make it easier for you. Consider it an extra precaution." Those were Kyuubi's last words before he shoved his still-erect cock in Naruto's ass.

* * *

The car ride to the Yamanaka house was awkwardly silent, but Sasuke didn't care. He was more focused on getting to Naruto to apologize. After all the hateful things he said and the confusing things he put Naruto through, it was the least he could do. Their house wasn't very far from the school at all, and Sasuke hadn't yet had time to fully prepare a speech in his head by the time they were pulling into the driveway.

As soon as they got out of the car, Ino and Sasuke could tell that something was wrong. There was noise coming from inside the house. They slowly approached the door. Suddenly, Sasuke heard a blood curdling scream that sounded like Naruto, and they rushed to the door. Ino frantically pulled her key out as Naruto screamed wordlessly. She fumbled, but was eventually able to unlock the door and shove it open.

Ino ran towards the living room, and Sasuke followed. She stopped at the doorway and looked horrified. When Sasuke got there, he looked in the room and saw a horrifying sight. There was blood all over the floor. A man who Sasuke thought was somehow familiar was…raping the blond. Naruto cried out in pain as the man thrust in and out of his smaller body.

"Kyuubi," Ino whispered, only loud enough for Sasuke to hear. So this was Naruto's abusive step-father. Sasuke and Ino were both frozen by shock until a particularly disturbing scream caused Ino to yell out for him. Kyuubi looked up, shocked at the presence, and looked at the gun that was across the room.

Sasuke knew he had only one chance. As Kyuubi pulled himself out of Naruto and made for the gun, Sasuke lunged and picked up the weapon first. He could feel Kyuubi's naked body hovering over him, and he raised the gun, pulling the trigger.

The bullet went right in the forehead, and Sasuke knew that Kyuubi was instantly dead. He fell on top of Sasuke, pinning him to the floor lifelessly. Sasuke could feel ejaculate fluids and blood from Kyuubi's prick wiping off on his clothes, and Kyuubi's own blood starting pouring out of his bullet wound. Sasuke looked at his face, and he suddenly remembered the man from the bathroom at Mangekyo. This was Naruto's father?!

Naruto was sobbing as Ino ran over to him. She immediately cradled Naruto into her arms as he sobbed. Sasuke managed to roll Kyuubi off him, and took a few deep breaths. He sat up and removed his phone from his pocket, dialing 9-1-1.

After what felt like days, but was in actuality less than an hour, the police arrive to survey the scene (along with an ambulance), and the three teens were taken to the hospital. After a few questions directed at Ino and Sasuke, the police were able to put it on record that Kyuubi's death was self-defense, and informed Sasuke that he faced no charges for killing him. Sasuke could barely hear them. As soon as he was allowed, he high-tailed it out of there, and Ino assumed he was going home.

Instead, Ino found Inoichi sitting down in Naruto's hospital room, joined by Tsunade, Jiraya, and the doctor who was treating Naruto. He had passed out moments before Sasuke killed Kyuubi, and hadn't yet regained consciousness. It was odd how peaceful the sleeping blond looked after what had happened to him. Under the covers, he had bandages and gauze, Ino knew, but if someone just randomly walked into the room, they might assume he was taking a nap.

It was only a few minutes after the doctor left the room that Naruto's eyes opened and he sat up straight, looking at the door. "Get out," Naruto said harshly, to no one in particular. Inoichi looked at his daughter and she looked back, both sporting perplexed looks.

"Naru–" Inoichi began, but the blond interrupted him.

"I'm going to tell you one more time before I call the police," Naruto said, still staring straight ahead. His words confused the two blondes even further. "Get out, _Kyuubi_." Inoichi looked at Ino with a concerned look.

"Go get the doctor," he told her, and she didn't argue. She left the room quickly, and the doctor had entered the room fairly quickly.

"What's going on?" the doctor asked, looking at the blond.

While Ino was out, Naruto had changed. When she left, he seemed to be shouting at some figment of his imagination, his father if his last words were anything to judge by. But now, he had pushed himself back against the headboard of the hospital bed, fear evident in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said in a quick and fearful tone. "I didn't kiss him! _He_ kissed _me_!" Ino's eyes widened when she realized what Naruto was talking about. "I swear I'm not gay!" Naruto shouted loudly, sounding more and more frantic with each fragmented sentence he spoke. "Sasuke! He's the one! _He_ kissed _me_!" Naruto paused again.

"What's going on, doctor?" Inoichi asked, concerned.

"Naruto?" the doctor asked, approaching the blond. "Can you hear me? My name is Dr. Mizuki. You don't have to be afraid."

"I'm sorry," Naruto sobbed, cradling his knees to his chest. "I swear I'm not gay! I'll never see him again, I swear to god!"

The doctor got closer. "Naruto, can you hear me?" he asked once again, getting closer. "If you can hear me, nod your head." When Naruto seemed irresponsive, the doctor put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto, can you hear me?"

The second the doctor's hand touched Naruto, there was a clear reaction. Naruto jumped half a mile into the air, and scrambled to get as far from the doctor as the hospital bed and machines would allow – which, to be honest, wasn't very far. "Naruto," Inoichi said loudly. "Naruto, you have to hear me. _Please_, hear me." Naruto turned his head to look at Inoichi, and suddenly, his expression became blank.

Then, as quickly as the fear had faded, it had returned. Naruto screamed loudly enough for Ino to wince, and the doctor that was standing a foot away from him had to move away. "Please don't do this, Daddy," Naruto said, his voice sounding a little different. Not that his voice had changed; it was more the tone that he was using. "I love him."

Was he still talking about Sasuke? What was going on now? Naruto never called Kyuubi 'Daddy.' As far as Ino knew, he never called anybody that. Why was he suddenly speaking differently?

"I didn't have sex with him!" Naruto insisted, his voice still having an odd quality to it. "We promised to wait until marriage! You know that!" His frantic tone still hadn't changed. But suddenly, something felt very wrong about the way he was talking. Sex? _Marriage_? Why would Naruto be thinking about sex or marriage with anyone, let alone a 'he?' Besides, two guys couldn't even get married in this state. What was going on here?

"Please stop!" Naruto pleaded. "I promise I'll be good. I won't even kiss him!" Naruto paused, and Ino noticed the worried look that passed between the doctor and Inoichi. Suddenly, the doctor walked out into the hallway and yelled for a nurse, telling her to bring him some sort of medicine. "Please don't make me do this," Naruto said. By the time the nurse entered with the needle, Naruto was sobbing again.

The needle was small, whatever was in it. And while Inoichi or the doctor might assume the scream Naruto let out when the needle pierced him was solely due to the injection, Ino knew the truth. She had heard that same scream hours ago as Kyuubi raped him. It was a sound that before today, she had never heard, and she knew she would never hear the same scream again. It sent shivers down her spine.

* * *

Sasuke waited down the hallway from Naruto's room. He couldn't handle the screaming. He didn't know what was going on in there, but he knew it wasn't his place to intrude. He just couldn't be near that right now.

After seeing what Naruto's family did to him, Sasuke had a newfound appreciation for Itachi. His brother was an asshole in every sense of the word, but Sasuke was pretty confident that he wasn't _evil_.

Sasuke wasn't sure he could handle this. He had to talk to _someone_, anyone. He had just gone through so much in the course of an hour; he wasn't sure if he could handle it anymore. He pulled out his phone to text Gaara.

As he typed, his fingers trembled and his hands shook. It took him much longer than it should have to send a text, and as soon as it was sent, he anxiously looked at his phone, willing a message to return.

"What do you mean, 'Naruto was raped'?" Gaara asked when he had arrived. The serious redhead was now completely in his element. He had a look of concern on his face, but whether it was for Sasuke or for Naruto, the raven couldn't be sure.

"What does it sound like!?" Sasuke snapped. His mind was racing faster than his mouth, and his words couldn't keep up with his thoughts "His father…he was….and I…the gun…and…oh god, he's dead!"

"Naruto?" Gaara said, completely shocked by what he thought Sasuke had said. Sasuke shook his head and forced himself to calm down enough that he could give Gaara the full story.

"No, his father," Sasuke told him. "I…I k-killed him. I killed him, Gaara!" That's when the reality sunk in for Sasuke. He _killed_ a man. He picked up a gun, pulled the trigger, and took someone's life. The anxiety was coming back. He closed his eyes, but it didn't help. He could still see Kyuubi's face. He could still feel the trigger beneath his finger. He could still feel his heartbeat, louder than a car horn. The bang of the gun wasn't nearly as loud as his heartbeat. He still remembered the recoil from the gun, and the feeling of Kyuubi falling lifelessly on top of him.

Gaara pulled his friend into a hug, not saying a word. There were no words.

"It was all my fault," Sasuke continued, much more softly. "I pushed Naruto much further than I should have. I…I kissed him." He could tell that Gaara was shocked, but thankfully, he didn't say anything. "I tried to push him, to get him to admit that he liked it. So he freaked out and ran home. If I'd never kissed him, he wouldn't have been there. He wouldn't…" he shook his head. "God, Gaara, it's all my fault."

"No it's not," the redhead reassured him. "Naruto's father was obviously sick in the head. You didn't know this would happen. You couldn't have possibly known."

But Gaara was wrong. It _was_ all his fault. He was the reason Naruto was raped. He was the reason that Naruto's father was dead. He was the reason that Naruto's life was probably turned upside down now. Sasuke pushed Gaara off him and stood up abruptly. He didn't want to cry in front of Gaara. He turned around and ran down the hallway. When he reached the stairs, he kept running until he finally reached the roof.

He liked roofs. They were peaceful, usually vacant, and provided fresh air. He could think up here. He could _breathe_ up here. It was like his nerves dissolved when he finally got outside.

Sasuke walked over to the edge and looked down, noticing the cars driving by. It was like any other day in Konoha. People were going about their day just like they would any other day. It didn't matter to anyone that Naruto had been raped. It didn't matter to them that Sasuke had killed someone. It only really affected a handful of people in the city. Sasuke had never felt so insignificant. How could life just carry on after this?

His feet shuffled closer to the edge as he contemplated what had just happened. Finally, he decided to sit down on the edge of the building, his feet dangling over the edge. A strong breeze could easily knock him over, but there wasn't much wind. Besides, would that really be such a bad thing?

He'd made so many mistakes in the last few days, and he wasn't sure what caused it all. Blackmailing Naruto. Getting drunk. Kissing Naruto. Yelling at him. Killing Kyuubi. Even if stopping Kyuubi wasn't a mistake, taking his life was, and Sasuke couldn't reconcile that. Kyuubi was obviously a disturbed, evil man. But Sasuke couldn't help but feel guilty for killing him.

Sasuke looked down and saw a few people standing on the sidewalk below, pointing up at him, and he suddenly realized what it must look like. Some emo kid sitting on the edge of the building – they thought he was going to kill himself!

Then he considered it. Who really was better off having known him? Itachi hated him, Sasuke knew that. He was pretty sure the same would be true of Ino and Naruto and their father after today. They couldn't all hate Sasuke more than he hated himself, though. Of course, there was always the other side of the coin. He knew his friends would be upset if he just let himself fall, and so would his friends for that matter.

They'd all get over it though, right? Maybe he should do it. I shifted slightly forward and leaned over the edge to look down. His stomach dropped upon seeing the height, and Sasuke knew that he could easily fall without even trying now. It wouldn't be hard at all to just end it. End the guilt. End the pain. He would no longer cause suffering like he had today.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" a voice shouted from behind Sasuke. The raven almost jumped in shock, but instead clutched onto a piece of concrete. He could have easily just fallen, all because someone had _talked_ to him. He was too close to doing this.

"You really shouldn't startle people who are one movement away from falling to their death," Sasuke stated matter-of-factly as the blonde girl came closer.

"Get off the edge, you drama queen," Ino commanded.

"Why?" Sasuke asked. "Maybe I should just jump. Then Naruto won't have to face me. I won't be able to make anyone else miserable again."

"Then maybe you should go ahead and do it. You know, Gaara told me you were blaming it all on yourself, but I didn't believe it. Never thought I'd see the day when you'd admit you could do something wrong."

"Funny," Sasuke commented dryly. "You're making me feel so much better.

"My brother was raped today," Ino said. "Sorry if comforting you isn't my highest priority at the moment. As a matter of fact, it isn't even on the list."

"Whatever," Sasuke said, looking back down. He saw a seven-year-old pointing at him with, who he could only assume was, his older brother. _'Great_,' Sasuke thought to himself. _'Now if I jump, I'd splatter all over these poor kids. I couldn't even leave the world without creating a mess.'_

"If you want to blame yourself, go for it," Ino urged him. "I really don't care at this point. But get off the fucking roof, you big baby. Only a coward decides to take the easy way out."

"This isn't easy," Sasuke assured her. "If it was easy, you'd be downstairs with the rest of them to see what was left of me. Just go back downstairs to your family."

"If you think I'm going to walk downstairs and tell Gaara that I saw you sitting on the edge of the roof and _left you there_, you're nuts."

After a few seconds, Sasuke sighed and got off the ledge. He walked closer to her.

"Why aren't you mad?" he asked. "I'm the reason Naruto was home. I'm the reason he was in this mess to begin with. You should have been pushing me, not talking me off the ledge."

"We all knew Kyuubi would come back someday," Ino said, sounding sad. "Even Dad knew that his threats would only give us so long. We just never expected…this."

"I killed a man," Sasuke said, his voice shaking. "I picked up a gun, pulled the trigger, and took away a life."

"He was raping Naruto. You didn't kill a man, you saved Naruto from a monster."

"Why aren't you with him, anyway?" Sasuke asked suddenly. Who did she think she was, leaving her brother to come talk Sasuke off the edge? "He probably needs his whole family with him."

"The whole reason I came to find you is because Naruto's awake," she said nervously. My head shot up in surprise. "He wants to see you. But I have to warn you: he's not the same. He…he had some sort of mental breakdown when the doctor was checking him out. He started re-experiencing the rape, reacting as if it was happening right there. When he woke up, he…well, you'll see."

Sasuke didn't understand what she meant, but he didn't put up an argument. Naruto wanted to see him. He was probably going to yell at him or something, tell him to stay the fuck away forever. Whatever he dished out, Sasuke would take, and he would be thankful that it wasn't all much, much worse.

"By the way," Ino began sheepishly, "I sort of, accidentally, outed your guys' secret to Kiba. Not the kiss," she added after Sasuke gave her a look, "but about pretending to date. I'm pretty sure the secret is out." Sasuke couldn't really care anymore. Sure, Hinata, Tenten, Sakura, and Neji would be pissed off at him, but he could handle that. It was a very recent development – he can always tell them he was going to tell them the truth soon.

When they got down to Naruto's hospital room, there were a ton of people outside. Sasuke noticed their principal, Tsunade, standing with Jiraya. He didn't really understand why either of them was there. Standing next to them was Kiba and Inoichi. Gaara was standing off to the side, and Sakura and Hinata were with him. Gaara probably called them, Sasuke reasoned. And they looked pretty mad at him. Well, except for Gaara, who gave him a reassuring half-smile.

Kakashi was also there, sitting at a chair all by himself. He was probably there for Sasuke, the raven assumed. His gaze held sympathy, but not much else. Instead of waiting outside with them, Ino brought Sasuke inside. Inoichi and Kakashi followed him in. The doctor was already there.

Naruto's face lit up when he saw the raven, and Naruto wondered why in the world Naruto would be _happy_ to see him. Did that mental breakdown Ino mentioned turn him completely loopy?

"Sasuke!" Naruto said, urging the raven closer. When he got near enough, Naruto hugged him from his bed, confusing the Uchiha even further. Why would Naruto _hug_ him? Even if he hadn't _been responsible for Naruto's rape_, Naruto had made it pretty clear that he was confused by being physical with Sasuke. Sasuke noticed Inoichi had a pretty mad look on his face.

"H-Hey," Sasuke said to Naruto, when he realized they expected him to say _something_. "How are you feeling? You know, after what happened?"

"You mean when I fell?" he asked. "Yeah. My butt hurts a little bit, and my jaw is a little sore, but I feel fine otherwise."

"Fall?" Sasuke asked. Inoichi put a hand on his shoulder to silence the raven, but Naruto didn't notice.

"Yeah," Naruto said. "No one told you? That's why I'm in here." Sasuke looked from Ino to Kakashi to Inoichi, who all had warning glances on their face. Sasuke understood, he thought. He probably didn't remember the rape. Something about trauma and repressed memories. Sasuke saw something like that on Law and Order once.

"No, I didn't know why you were in here," Sasuke said, playing along. He noticed that Naruto's inflection was different than usual. His voice was usually deeper.

"I can't wait until I'm released," Naruto said with an odd smile on his face. "You wanna come over when they tell me I can go?" Sasuke couldn't find the words to express his confusion. Why the hell would Naruto want to hang out with him? Even if his mind blocked out the rape, he would still remember the shit that Sasuke already put him through – the kiss, the blackmail, the yelling.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sasuke asked, and he felt Inoichi's hand on his shoulder squeeze.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Naruto said. "Why?"

"Well, aren't you mad at me?" Sasuke asked. He needed answers. He noticed out of the corner of his eyes that the others were all looking anxious at the question.

"Why would I be mad?" Naruto asked, confused. Sasuke wanted to tell him, but probably figured he couldn't mention the rape, if Naruto was repressing it.

"Because we got into a fight and it was all my fault," he said instead.

"That doesn't sound surprising," he said, giving the raven a pointed look. "But I don't remember any fight." He paused. "You're just lucky I like you so much or you'd be dumped in a second." I was about to tell him that everyone knew about the fakeness of our relationship, but his next sentence shocked me into silence. "It's a good thing I'm your girlfriend."

"Yeah," Sasuke said, nodding.

Whoa. Wait. What?

"I need to run a few more tests on Naruto," the doctor said, before I could question the blond. Inoichi, Ino and Kakashi ushered me out into the hallway all too quickly. They closed the door behind them and I only had one question on my mind. A question which they were going to answer now, or there would be hell to pay.

"What's wrong with Naruto?" he asked.

"I think we should wait for the doctor to explain," Inoichi said.

"Uchiha doesn't deserve to know," Tsunade said from her position to their side. "He's the reason he's in this mess to begin with!"

"And who are you to tell me what I deserve?" Sasuke asked his principal.

"I'm his godmother, brat," she said, surprising him. Who would've thought that this old bat would be Naruto's godmother. "And _you_ are why he's in there."

"Tsunade, stop!" Inoichi commanded. She still looked unhappy, but she didn't say another word. She settled on leveling an angry glare at the Uchiha.

"Sis, Naruto thinks he and Sasuke are really together," Jiraya said. "If Sasuke stays away, it could be detrimental to Naruto's mental health."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke asked.

"Let's just wait for the doctor to explain," Inoichi said.

There were a few minutes of waiting before the doctor finally emerged from the room. By then, almost everyone had left except for Kiba, Jiraya, Tsunade, Inoichi, Ino, Kakashi, and Sasuke.

"You're Uchiha Sasuke?" the doctor asked Sasuke. The raven nodded. "I need your assurance that you will stand by Naruto," he continued. "If you reject him because of what happened, it could be harmful to his mental health."

"Of course," Sasuke said. "It's my fault he's in this mess." After the 'no it's not' from Ino, Inoichi, and Kakashi, and the 'yes it is' from Jiraya, Tsunade and Kiba, the doctor continued.

"Good," he said. "Naruto is experiencing a rare form of traumatic gender identity disorder." Sasuke didn't know what that was, but he didn't think it was good. "You see, after a traumatic experience such as rape, some people repress some memories and thoughts and they truly believe they are the other gender. Naruto believes he's a girl."

"What!?" Sasuke asked, incredulously. "Doesn't he know he has a penis?"

"That's not important to him," the doctor said. "His gender identity is separate from his physiology. One has nothing to do with the other."

"You're kidding," Sasuke replied. "He actually thinks he's a _girl_?"

"Yes," the doctor said. "And you can't try to make him believe otherwise. It's usually only a temporary condition."

"Usually?" Sasuke asked, and the doctor nodded.

"It's a very rare condition. There are some instances where the patient recovered and some where they didn't.

"So I have to pretend to be his boyfriend?" Sasuke asked. He didn't think 'fake boyfriend' meant this.

"It's not like you haven't done it before," Kiba muttered.

"Except this time, he has _real_ feelings for me," Sasuke realized.

"And you better play along," Tsunade growled out. "If you hurt him any further –"

"I'm so scared," Sasuke said sarcastically. Her eyes widened in anger, but instead of rising to the bait, she just walked off with Jiraya following behind her.

"You should go in and see him now," the doctor told Sasuke. The raven did as he was told, and Naruto was waiting for him.

"Hey you," he said with a smile. Sasuke slowly walked over to him and sat down on the hospital bed next to him. "Did the doctor have anything to say?" he asked.

"I think you'll be released soon," Sasuke said, not knowing what to say.

"Good," he said. "I feel kind of silly because before you came in, they had to give me something to mop up blood. I think I might be on my period, so no sex right now, okay?"

**Remember to Review and check out my blog at ** fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects.**


	5. The Complicated Ones

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Sasuke, or Sakura, or Ino, or Shikamaru, or…well, you get the picture.**

**This is the rewritten version, revised on 9-20-12. This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Five: The Complicated Ones

The month of December was the longest month in Sasuke's life. He had to pretend that he was Naruto's boyfriend – which wasn't really foreign territory at all – but he also had to pretend that Naruto was a girl. And there are just a few things about girls that Sasuke found annoying.

1. Going shopping.

Naruto dragged Sakura, Hinata, Ino, and Tenten to the mall for "girl time", and Sakura had to call Sasuke to pick him up because he was being harassed by a bunch of guys. Cue awkward car conversation.

"I don't know why they did it," Naruto cried. "They said I was a _faggot_ just for going shopping with my friends. What's with that?! They didn't harass Sakura, Ino, Tenten or Hinata about going shopping. I mean, I know I'm the only one in there with a boyfriend, so I was the only one trying on lingerie, but that doesn't warrant that type of cruelness."

"You're totally right, Naruto," Sasuke said, focusing on the road. He did _not_ want to focus on the thought of Naruto trying on lingerie.

2. Libido. You think guys can be bad? Have you see girl-Naruto?

"Come on, Sasuke!" Naruto whined. "It's been two weeks since I fell. I can have sex! I swear!"

"I don't feel like it," Sasuke argued. There was only so long the blond would accept _that_ argument. "Maybe some other time."

"Don't you think I'm pretty anymore?" Naruto asked. Sasuke remembered the doctor's words. _You cannot reject him._

"Very," Sasuke replied.

The next day, he showed up at Sasuke's house in a trench coat. The Uchiha raised my eyebrows at his fashion choice, but then realized what was going on.

"Sasuke," Naruto purred, dropping his trench coat to reveal a sexy cat outfit that showed way too much of him. "Don't you just want to take me right now?" He pulled himself into Sasuke so that every inch of Naruto was touching him. Every inch. Yes, even those six ones.

Hey, Sasuke might not like him, but he's still a teenager with hormones. And oh my god was Naruto tempting in that moment. But of course, he had to resist. He couldn't sex it up with a mentally ill person.

3. Fan. Girls.

Of course, one day, Naruto decided to drag Sasuke to the table of "SasuNaru" fan girls. Sasuke figured he was top now. If and when Naruto recovered, he vowed to bring that up, just to see how Naruto would react.

Of course, Naruto only brought him to the table to "show you off, Sasuke", but the raven ended up being groped by far too many people from the fan club. And once more, the membership of the fan club skyrocketed. If only he hadn't pushed to get rid of them, he'd simply be harassed by a hundred girls, not the entire female population of the school with the exception of Ino, Tenten and Hinata. Oh, didn't he mention? Sakura joined the club.

* * *

"Sasuke, we need to talk," said the pink haired girl one day as they were on the lunch line. "Can you tell Naruto that you and I are having some best-friend time?"

"Sure," Sasuke said, wondering when they went from 'friend' to 'best friend.' "Anything to get away from the…_girlfriend_." He said the last word with utter distaste. Why couldn't Naruto be all over me as a guy?! At least then, Sasuke wouldn't have to do with the mood swings and the bitchiness. He could have sworn that Naruto had PMS even though he didn't get a period.

After they both got their lunches, Sasuke told his ball-and-chain that he was going to go eat with Sakura. Sakura and Sasuke left the cafeteria and headed up to where Sasuke loved to sit when he needed some peace and quiet. You guessed it – the roof.

Luckily, after what had happened with Naruto, none of his friends stayed angry with him for long. Especially once Ino told them all that Sasuke almost killed himself. For a few days, they all treated him like a ticking timebomb until he blew up at them.

He told them he wasn't considering killing himself, and he'd only done so for the briefest of moments. He never would have done it. But he needed his friends now if he was to get through this stressful business with Naruto.

He didn't think it would be so hard. Sasuke started to realize after only a week that he had a serious attraction to Naruto, and it pissed him off royally. He had to kiss Naruto in order to keep up the charade, and even participate in some light touching. But it was almost unbearable that he couldn't go any further, even though he knew that lil' Sasuke really liked it.

Every time they kissed, Sasuke felt that same bubbling feeling that he'd felt on the roof, albeit a little less intense. While he definitely enjoyed it more than he should have, it felt weird knowing that if Naruto was in his right mind, he wouldn't even consider this. Every time Sasuke walked down the hall with his 'girlfriend,' and every time that they ended up shirtless on the sofa kissing each other, Sasuke couldn't help but remind himself that the real Naruto would be mortified by this.

But a selfish part of him loved it. He didn't realize how great being with Naruto would be until he had the opportunity. And while he could do without the more superficial aspects like shopping, and the other complications that dating someone who thought he was a girl entailed, Sasuke couldn't deny that he _really_ liked the physical aspect of their relationship.

When they finally got to the roof, Sasuke sat down in the same spot he sat in last week. It kind of gave him chills to remember what happened there, but he ignored it. Sakura sat down beside him.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Sasuke asked when she pulled out her lunch to begin eating.

"It's Naruto," Sakura said. "She thinks you're gay."

"_He_ thinks I'm gay," Sasuke corrected. "And I _am gay_!"

"Yes, but he doesn't know that," Sakura said. "He thinks you're straight, and he _needs_ you to be straight.

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why does he think I'm gay?"

"Well, he notices how you keep rejecting her…or him…or whatever. And then he…she….argh! Naruto was on your computer and he…" She trailed off and blushed.

"He what?" Sasuke asked, not liking the fact that Naruto had checked out his computer.

"He saw some porn," Sakura said. "Gay porn," as if it needed clarification.

"Well…" Sasuke said, not really knowing what to say. "This is kind of awkward."

"What are you going to do?" Sakura asked, ignoring the comment.

"I don't know," Sasuke said with a sigh. "I guess after school, I'll speak to Ino and Inoichi about it. He's been trying to get me to have sex with him, but that's an awful idea. The fact that I've been avoiding it is probably adding to her theory. But if anyone knows what to do best, it would be the two of them.

"Kiba will want to be part of this conversation," Sakura said. "He's Naruto's best friend."

"And he'll definitely not want to hear anything involving my porn or anything that involves Naruto wanting me to fuck him."

"I guess you're right," she said. "This is so weird, but…" She trailed off.

"What?"

"I'm kind of glad Naruto thinks he's a girl," Sakura admitted. "Now, we're friends with his friends, and they're pretty cool. Well, at least Ino is."

"Don't lie," Sasuke said with a smirk. "You like Sai."

Her cheeks began to look slightly similar to her hair in terms of shade. "I guess he's not bad to look at."

"He's pretty hot," Sasuke said with a shrug. He leaned his head back and smirked, getting an angry look from the pinkette.

"Don't think about it, Uchiha," Sakura warned. "You already have your own piece of ass."

"Such a good piece of ass," Sasuke muttered. "My hand is still getting a regular workout."

"It's not my fault you pick the complicated ones," Sakura said with a shrug. "I wonder what Naruto is now. Is he straight or gay?"

"I'll go with bi for now," Sasuke said. "Considering he might like women as a man but he likes men as a woman, but he kissed me as a man, and…"

"Shut up," Sakura said. "You're confusing me." She already knew about that kiss. It seemed everyone did. Sasuke didn't even know how that got out, but that wasn't his sole focus these days.

"He's not homosexual or heterosexual," Sasuke said, remembering the way Naruto looked in the sexy cat outfit. "He's just sexual."

"You can say that again," Sakura said. Sasuke looked at her with a confused expression and she continued. "You don't think he didn't model for anyone with the cat costume, did you?"

"You're making me want to kill you right now," Sasuke deadpanned.

"Aw, how cute," she cooed. "You're jealous."

"I am _not_ jealous!" Sasuke protested. It's true. He just…didn't like thinking of Naruto practically with anyone else. Okay, so maybe he was a little jealous. Even if Naruto thought he was a girl, he still looked like a guy, and that's what kept getting to Sasuke. It's not like he actually liked him.

* * *

After school, Sasuke decided to go to Inoichi's house to talk to him, and he made sure to drag Ino along. Sasuke knew Naruto had to go to the SasuNaru Fan Club afterschool, so he didn't have to worry about running into him there.

It took a few minutes, but he eventually got the point across. The hardest part was finding a tasteful way to bring up Naruto snooping on his computer. That wasn't his shining moment, talking about his porn collection in front of two near-strangers. But the worst was insinuating that Naruto wouldn't be convinced until Sasuke brought the sexual aspect of their relationship further.

"So that's the problem," Sasuke explained to the two blondes in front of him. Ino and Inoichi looked at each other and then back at the raven.

"You can't have sex with him," Ino said, leaving no room for questions. "You can't take his virginity, even if he thinks he's lost it."

"Wait, Naruto's a virgin?" Sasuke asked. Why would a virgin be so fucking sexual all the time? It made no sense.

"Yeah," she said. "You're not?"

"That doesn't matter," Inoichi said before Sasuke could say anything. "What matters is how to solve this. It's a real problem."

"Sasuke, you're brother's a douche bag, right?" Ino asked after a few seconds of silence.

He didn't even have to think about the question. He remembered Itachi's reaction to the whole situation. When Itachi found out about my _girlfriend_, he stopped harassing me…in front of the blond. Even he knows not to fuck around with a mentally unstable person. He learned that lesson after dumping his ex. That didn't stop him from being a general asshole, though.

"_Okay, Naruto, we need to get upstairs before we run into Itachi," Sasuke whispered as he opened the door to his house._

"_Why?" the blond asked. "I've met your brother plenty of times."_

"_Just trust me," Sasuke said, running his fingers through the cloudy soft hair. "You do trust me, don't you, Naruto?"_

"_Of course, Sasuke," Naruto said in a whisper. They ran up the stairs, but as soon as they reached the top, they bumped into Itachi. Of course they did…it's not like anything could ever go right when it came to him and Naruto._

"_Naruto," Itachi said with a sadistic smile. "I didn't know my brother was bringing you home today."_

"_Sasuke narrowed his eyes and kissed Naruto's cheek. "Go up to my room, okay?" he asked the blond. Naruto nodded and walked past Itachi to get to Sasuke's room. Itachi watched him go and looked back at Sasuke with an amused expression._

"_A little open with the kissing, huh?" Itachi asked._

"_Listen up," Sasuke said with a growl. "Naruto thinks he's a girl because of some traumatic experience. I don't know the details, but I _do_ know that he thinks we're in a realtionship, and I need to pretend to be his boyfriend until he remembers he's a guy. No digs about me being gay or anything, alright?"_

"_Fine," Itachi said, as if he didn't care. "I can at least do it in private. Besides, I think it's kind of cute. Like a boy-toy and a girlfriend all in one."_

"_Yeah," Sasuke said. "Loads of fun on my end." With that, he pushed past his brother and followed Naruto to his room._

"Yeah, Itachi's pretty much an asshole," Sasuke told Ino and Inoichi. "What do you have in mind?"

* * *

Sasuke sighed as he walked down the street towards Naruto's house hand in hand with the blond. He just didn't have the heart to say no, especially now that Naruto was on to Sasuke being gay. But that would all change as soon as they got back to his house. Sasuke and Ino had a plan that relied entirely on the Uchiha's acting skills, and they'd already rehearsed. Sasuke was confident it would go smoothly.

"Is something on your mind?" Sasuke asked the blond who was obviously lost in thought.

"Oh, no," Naruto said, not looking him in the eye. "It's nothing." After a moment's hesitation, he continued. "Why won't you have sex with me? I mean, we've done it tons of times before, but ever since my fall, you keep making excuses. I'm _fine_. It won't hurt me."

"I know that, Naruto," Sasuke said, a little nervous that the situation was tensing before he was able to get to the house where Ino would help diffuse it.

"Then what is it?" Naruto pushed. "Am I not good enough or something?" He looked at Sasuke with those big cerulean orbs that looked one wrong word from flooding with tears.

"No, you're excellent," Sasuke lied. "It's just me."

"What about you?"

"I've discovered something," Sasuke said, not really know where he was going.

"What?" Naruto asked harshly, sending his 'boyfriend' a harsh glare. He obviously had a guess as to what Sasuke had discovered.

"I…I'm…I don't know how to say this," Sasuke said, trying to buy time to come up with an idea.

"Say it," Naruto commanded, obviously bracing himself for the news.

"I'm…" Sasuke frantically searched his brain for a reason, and the one he found, while it might work, was definitely not the best excuse. Oh well, in for a dime, in for a dollar. "I'm religious." Those few seconds while the excuse registered in Naruto's mind were long and agonizing for Sasuke.

"What?" the blond finally asked, confused by the excuse.

"Your injuries were worse than you think," Sasuke said, trying to roll with the punches. Hopefully he was as good at improve as he was at scripted acting.

"I always heal fast," Naruto said dismissively. "What does that have to do with religion?"

"When you were in critical condition, I prayed to God, and I asked him to save you. I told him if he did, then I'd stop having sex with you until we were married." _'Yeah, that works,'_ Sasuke thought. _'I certainly won't propose to him while he still thinks he's a girl.'_ It took a few seconds for him to realize what he said. _'Wait, gay marriage isn't even legal in this state! What am I talking about!?'_

"You _what_?" Naruto asked, almost seething at the reply. At least he believed it.

"I tried to cut a deal with him," Sasuke said. "Like in those movies, you know?"

"I heard what you said," Naruto said. "I just don't get why it matters anymore."

"Because I made a solemn promise to God," Sasuke said, trying to keep a straight face. It wasn't that he didn't believe in god; he just wasn't really all that religious. He hadn't gone to church in over a decade. The last time he went, his parents took him.

"You don't seem all that religious," Naruto observed. "In fact, we've hung out the last two Sundays, so I _know_ you haven't been to church." He narrowed his eyes. "What's really going on? Don't lie to me this time."

Dammit! Sasuke almost had him convinced. Now he needed another excuse. He could either come up with an excuse for not going to church, or come up with an entirely different excuse for not having sex with him _and_ lying about religion. And he needed the excuse quickly, or Naruto would just figure that he was lying about being gay…which he was. Again, an excuse came to him, but he didn't know if it would pan out.

"I'm Jewish," he lied. And, cue another awkward pause while Naruto absorbed the information.

"Come again?" Naruto asked after a couple seconds of confusion.

"Well, in Judaism, the Sabbath is on Saturday," Sasuke said. Thank god he took that elective on world religions last year. Sure, it was either that or taking the crotchet class – that school needs new electives – but he can safely say he's used the class in life.

"You're…Jewish?" Naruto asked as if he didn't understand those words. "Why Jewish?"

"Because…I…my family is Jewish," he lied. He knew that if Naruto ended up staying like this until the next holiday season, that could be a problem. Despite not being religious, Kakashi always made sure that he and Itachi had a family dinner on Christmas. It was always a disaster. Then again, if Naruto was still like this by next Christmas, he would probably already guess Sasuke's sexuality. There's no way he could pull this off for almost a year.

"Since when is your family Jewish?" Naruto asked, obviously suspicious. He wasn't as stupid as he looked, huh?

"Always," Sasuke said, knowing there was no turning back at this point. "We're just…not religious."

"So you go to temple every Saturday?" Naruto asked, still suspicious.

"Yes!" Sasuke said.

"And you're very religious?" the blond asked.

"Very," the Uchiha confirmed.

"Then why did you have a cheeseburger for lunch today?" Naruto asked, satisfied that he caught the Uchiha in his web of lies.

Fuck. Sasuke almost widened his eyes before realizing that would be an admission of guilt. Instead, he had to just roll with the punches, and answer every single one of Naruto's questions with a sufficient answer. He was in too deep to let this happen.

"Why did I have a cheeseburger?" he asked, repeating the question. He needed another excuse. Why did that always happen? Sure, telling a lie might require telling another one to cover it up, but he was going three or four lies deep, and it hadn't even been five minutes!

"Yeah," Naruto said smugly. "That's illegal in Judaism, right?"

"You see…" Sasuke said, still trying to buy time. He couldn't just say he was one of the Jews who didn't keep kosher, or he couldn't pretend to be super-religious. He couldn't deny having ordered a cheeseburger – Naruto was there when he ordered it. He couldn't just backpedal out of this lie, or Naruto would know something was up. "They didn't have any hamburgers," he said, remembering that there were very few options left after a group of twenty came in and went to town on the place. It was believable, if not true. "So I just ordered the cheeseburger and took the cheese off."

"Really?" he asked, with his arms crossed.

"Yeah," Sasuke lied with his best poker face ever. Or at least he hoped it was. "Didn't you see me?"

"No," he said before rolling his eyes. "Fine," he said after a moment. "I believe you". By now, they'd reached his house. Naruto pulled out his key and opened the door, allowing them in. Sasuke was relieved that Naruto believed him. It was a close call, but it worked out all right. Or at least he hoped. "So why didn't you tell anyone?" he asked as they entered the house. Where was Ino? She was supposed to come in a soon as they walked in!

"Oh, I…I thought that you deserved to know first, but I didn't know how to bring it up," Sasuke said. That was probable one of the easier lies he'd told today.

"So starting Monday, you'll wear the funny looking head thingy to school?" he asked with his eyebrows arched, testing his boyfriend. (1)

"Yes," Sasuke said before realizing what he had just agreed to. Great. Where could he go to get a yarmulke on a Friday evening? This just kept getting better and better.

"Okay," Naruto said, satisfied. He/she knew that Sasuke was lying, and he/she/they were trying to make sure it was as hard for him as possible. Sasuke knew he was trapped now. He couldn't help but really hope that Naruto regained his memory before tomorrow.

Finally, Ino took notice of their arrival and joined them in the kitchen. Sasuke was relieved. Operation: Make Naruto Think Sasuke's Straight was about to begin.

"You bastard!" Ino said, slapping Sasuke's face. He didn't expect that to hurt so much. He instinctively covered the assaulted spot with his hand, his cheek stinging from the slap. Naruto, who hadn't seen what had happened, was able to guess from Sasuke's reaction.

"Ino!"

"What the fu –" Sasuke said before realizing he was supposed to be religious, "-heck?"

"You are such an asshole!" Ino yelled, not really picking up on Sasuke's latest scheme.

"What's this about?" Sasuke asked, feigning confusion.

"Why are you stringing Naruto along when everyone knows you're gay?" Ino accused.

"Ino!" Naruto yelled, obviously upset at his sisters actions. "I told you I'd handle this."

"Wait," Sasuke interrupted. "You two think I'm _gay_?" he asked as if it was the most ridiculous idea in the world. Jeez, he'd better win an Emmy after today. At the very least, he deserves an Oscar nomination.

"Naruto found the porn stash, you fucker," Ino angrily, and Sasuke almost smiled at Naruto's horrified reaction.

"Language," Sasuke chastised, going along with his lie about religion. Hopefully Ino might pick up the change in plan. "It does no one any good to use such words. The Lord forbids it."

"Um…what?" Ino asked. Okay, so he deviated from the basic script they set up earlier, but he couldn't quite call her a bitch, could he? That would be a no-no for any _real _religious person. Besides, Ino had to be clued in on the change. She might spoil everything. But obviously he'd overestimated her intelligence.

"What porn stash?" Sasuke asked, pretending the last exchange didn't happen. He needed to move on, and he couldn't think of any other way to convey his previous exchange with Naruto.

"Oh…um…" Ino said, trying to get back on track. "She saw your videos," she finally said, nodding at Naruto with her head. "Your _gay porn videos_."

"Gay porn videos?" Sasuke asked, seemingly dumbfounded.

"Don't lie, Sasuke," Naruto said with a sad, soft voice. "I know you're gay and you don't want to hurt my feelings, but lying about religion won't save you know."

'It was a project that I was doing for my rabbi,' wouldn't go over well, Sasuke figured, but he couldn't help but almost smile at the thought of saying that. No, he had to go along with what he and Ino had set up earlier.

"I honestly have no idea about what you're talking about, and I'm offended that you think I'm lying about my religion," Sasuke lied.

"Th-then show us your laptop," Ino said, obviously confused by our religion talk, but going along with their script anyway. It didn't really matter if she understood at this point. Naruto would tell her later.

"Fine," Sasuke said, pulling his laptop out of his bag. He opened it and it turned on – he keep it on sleep all the time – and then opened his folders. He went through the computer to the folder Ino pointed out – god this was going to be embarrassing – and he double clicked a video…one he had put in there just for this plan.

Two men appeared on the screen and one was using his mouth as a urinal for the other. Sasuke cringed_. 'I swear, some people are really disgusting.'_ Sure he's gay, but that's just nasty. He didn't have to fake the look of horror he had on his face. Naruto didn't miss that, and Sasuke saw him look…down south…presumably to make sure Sasuke's pants conveyed the same message as his face. Sasuke didn't have to worry about that.

"Itachi," Sasuke said softly. This was going to go off without a hitch.

"Excuse me?" Ino asked.

"Itachi is gay," Sasuke lied. "He has this huge fetish for urine, which I find to be truly revolting," he added.

"Why would he use your computer for his porn?" Naruto asked, obviously not buying what he and Ino were selling.

He shrugged his shoulders. "For the same reason when we first got together he barged into the cafeteria gave us condoms in a paper bag."

"Yeah, he is an asshole," Naruto conceded. "But I doubt he'd go this far. How would he know I'd even look here?"

"It's a place I'd never look," Sasuke said with a shrug. "I guess he figured it was a matter of time before you found it. I wonder how long these have been on here?" He closed the window and deleted the video, making sure to clear the rest of the folder, much to his disappointment. Oh well, he could always re-download it later. The important thing was showing Naruto that Itachi had left his calling card for Sasuke in the form of two men pissing all over each other.

"Sorry for accusing you," Ino said after a few moments. That was the key to the plan. Ino had to be vehemently sure that Sasuke was gay in the beginning and then apologize and concede later. That would put pressure on Naruto to do the same. Maybe Kakashi's psychology class wasn't _all_ worthless.

"Hn," Sasuke replied, pretending to still be offended. "I have to go, anyway." He kissed Naruto on the cheek, but the little tease turned his head at the last second and caught Sasuke in a surprise kiss that seemed to not stop. Ino giggled when Naruto opened his mouth, requesting access to Sasuke's own. He mentally sighed and pulled away. "I really have to go," He said. "But I'll be back tomorrow."

"Tomorrow's Saturday," he pointed out, and Sasuke almost cursed at his stupidity and short memory.

"Yeah, but temple isn't an all-day event," he said, hoping it was true. Apparently it was true, because Naruto gave up. "Bye, Naruto." Now he had to find a Jewish supplies store. Great.

* * *

When he got home, Ino called him to ask what was going on after Naruto told her about his embracement of religion. Naturally, Sasuke explained it to her.

"That's hilarious," she said. "I can't believe you said you were Jewish."

"I'm going to hell," Sasuke said. "Doesn't matter what religion I am. After all I've done and lied about."

"But you did it for a good cause," Ino said. "Naruto's emotional health is at stake here."

"I know," Sasuke said. It didn't change the fact that he'd killed Kyuubi. It didn't change the fact that he was the reason Naruto was raped.

"So…" she trailed off. "Are you going to temple tomorrow?" Sasuke could hear the amusement in her voice.

"No," he said with a bit of an attitude. "Naruto doesn't need to know where I am tomorrow morning. I'll just show up at 2:00 wearing a yarmulke (A/N: pronounced 'YA-ma-ka') and say I just got back from temple."

"You're such a good liar, Uchiha," she said. "But you'd better not lie to me or Inoichi. We're human lie detectors. It's like we can see into your brain."

"That's a nice thought," I deadpanned. "I have to go."

"Bye."

"Hn."

As soon as the button clicked, his bedroom door was slammed open.

"Why didn't you tell me you were Jewish?" Itachi said with a phone receiver in his hand and a sadistic smirk on his face.

"You were listening in!?" Sasuke yelled, knowing that no good could come from this. Whenever Itachi took an interest in him, there was always hell to pay. And the last time it ended with Sasuke drunk as a skunk at Mangekyo. He didn't want to know how it would end this time.

"Tomorrow morning, we are going straight to the nearest synagogue and we will have a nice time enlightening ourselves with the Lord's teachings," he said, his smirk growing.

"You know I have no plans on going," Sasuke said. "There's nothing you can do to make me sacrifice my morning to go to some boring service, which probably won't even be in English."

"Either you go, or Naruto might just get a call tomorrow from me, explaining that her boyfriend lied," Itachi said. Hook. Line. Sinker.

"You wouldn't do that," Sasuke said not-so-confidently. "You're annoying and obnoxious, but not evil." He hoped it was true.

Cut to the next morning, when Itachi had gone so far as to dial Naruto's number. He put it down before Naruto picked up, but Sasuke had to agree to go to temple first. Now he had to lose half his weekend, and he didn't know whether to blame Naruto more or Itachi. He settled on Itachi – he was always a great person to blame shit on.

So that's how he was stuck listening to an old guy sing and speak in Hebrew for hours. Oh joy. Of course, Itachi had to go out of his way to find the nearest Orthodox temple, just so that Sasuke would 'fit in.' He loved telling people about Sasuke's decision to wait until marriage. They fawned over the younger Uchiha, and he realized then that he wasn't going to hell – he was already there. His life was his own personal hell.

* * *

Sasuke was finally done with temple, so he got dressed in normal clothes and got into his car to go to Naruto's house. On the way, he got a phone call, though.

"It's Ino," the voice on the other line said.

"I know," Sasuke told her. "I have caller ID."

"Naruto thinks you're lying," she said, ignoring my smart-ass remark. Just fucking great. After all the effort he went to yesterday – even going to fucking temple today! – Naruto still didn't believe him. It was enough to make him want to wrap his car around the next telephone pole!

"About what?" he asked, hoping against hope that it didn't have to do with his sexuality. "I'm lying about so many things I can't keep track."

"Your religion, and the real reason you won't have sex with her…him," she said, correcting herself.

"Well, I had to think of something!" Sasuke exclaimed defensively.

"Religion?" she asked incredulously. "Really? _That_ was the best you could do?"

"What do you suggest I do?" Sasuke asked, ignoring her attitude.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But he does plan on testing you."

"I'll be ready," Sasuke said. He knew enough between talking to the rabbi (thanks to Itachi) and that class on religion that he could probably convince Naruto that he went to temple. And any other test Naruto threw at him, he'd probably be able to handle. Hopefully.

* * *

"You actually went to temple?" Naruto asked, surprised. And boy did he believe it. Sasuke even had one of their songs stuck in his head. He couldn't go anywhere without humming "Hava Nagila." It was awful.

"Yep," Sasuke said. At least that wasn't a lie. For once. "Why wouldn't I?"

"So we're really not having sex until you propose?" Naruto asked, and Sasuke realized that Naruto wasn't nearly as suspicious as he was yesterday. He was almost ready to believe him.

"Sorry," Sasuke said with a shrug. "But I don't want to compromise my religious values. And I know a loving girlfriend like you wouldn't ask me to." There we go, throw some guilt in there!

"I have a question," Naruto said, looking like he was about to challenge him.

"Alright."

"Do you love me?"

Now, picture this. They're in Naruto's house on the sofa. Inoichi and Ino are in the dining room, which is only separated from the living room by the little bar that they eat on. Tenten, Sakura and Hinata are sitting nearby, waiting for Inoichi to finish talking to Ino so they could go to the mall together. And then, Naruto asks him this. A hush fell over the room. Even Inoichi is listening intently.

"Do you love me?" Sasuke asked right back. He had to redirect the question.

"I asked you first," Naruto said. Fuck. He had to make a split decision.

"Yes," he lied. "Of course I love you. How could you doubt that?" It was completely immoral to lie about something like this, but Sasuke was doing this for a good reason, so it was okay, right?

"I love you, too," Naruto said. "I have an idea."

"Okay," Sasuke said, confused as to where this is going.

"Why don't you marry me?" he asked. Sasuke heard a purse drop to the ground, and a bunch of gasps behind him. Fuck.

"We're seventeen!" Sasuke said.

"So?" he asked. "We don't have to do it now. Let's just be engaged, and we can get married after high school." And the plot thickens. Sasuke couldn't help but remember Sakura's words the other day. _It's not my fault you pick the complicated ones_.

Complicated was right.

"I am not going to say yes to your proposal just so you can get me in bed," Sasuke said. "The Lord would frown upon that."

"I love you, Sasuke," Naruto said. "I don't see why we should wait."

"Maybe once we're old enough to have champagne at the reception, we'll talk about it," Sasuke said dismissively. This wasn't nearly the hardest thing he had to do in the last few days to prove his sexuality. Naruto just pouted with that cute little pout of his. Wait, did he just call Naruto _cute_? Fuck, this whole situation was finally getting to him.

"Fine," he said, leaning in to whisper to the Uchiha. "But there are other ways to show your love that don't involve sex." Sasuke knew everyone in the apartment was looking at them, and so did Naruto. Sasuke knew that no one in the apartment could hear him, and so did Naruto. But Sasuke did know that every person in the apartment heard his strained groan, even if they didn't see exactly what Naruto did to provoke it.

What did he do, you might ask? Sasuke would be more than happy to answer that question. Uzumaki Naruto – the boy who thinks he's a girl, Sasuke's girlfriend to be more exact – just grabbed the raven's cock through his jeans.

"Naruto!" he gasped, pulling away. "Stop it!"

"Daddy?" he asked, turning to Inoichi. "Can you give me and Sasuke some _privacy_."

"No," Inoichi said flat out, and Sasuke was immeasurably grateful. Even if he is a little crazy, what kind of person – girl or guy – asks their father to leave so they can fuck on the sofa?

"But Daddy," Naruto whined_. 'I swear, if he didn't remember that he's a guy soon, I'm going to have to kill him'._ He know he thought that about a lot of people (the killing part, not remembering one's true gender…that'd just be weird), but this time it's 100% true. Not only is he a girl, but he's the worst kind – Daddy's Little Girl.

"I'm not going to let my princess be alone in a room with her boyfriend," Inoichi said sternly. Sasuke was surprised he was handling this well at all.

"Sasuke-kun," Naruto whined. "Tell Daddy that you won't have sex with me."

"No thanks," Sasuke said. "I'm pretty sure this day has exceeded the minimum requirement of embarrassment for the day." He got up and grabbed his coat. "I think I should leave."

"Look what you did, Daddy!" Naruto yelled at Inoichi as Sasuke left the apartment. Who would have thought he would leave a room so hastily to get back to his house…with his brother.

* * *

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. Sasuke got home and Itachi teased him about Naruto. Sasuke did his homework and Itachi teased him about Naruto. Sasuke ate dinner and Itachi teased him about Naruto. Sasuke was beginning to see a pattern.

Now that he had a surprise "girlfriend" who took up so much of his free time, Sasuke had fewer chances to do schoolwork. So he was still awake finishing the project he and Naruto had started for history (way back when he was a dude!) about the important figure when the phone rang. Most of the time, when the phone rings at 1:34 in the morning, it is either an emergency or a wrong number from…Sasuke didn't know… maybe India. Some place in another time zone. But no…they couldn't have gotten a call like that. That would be too easy.

"Sasuke-kun," came Naruto's trembling voice along the other line.

"Yes, Naruto," I answered exasperatedly, clearly showing his exhaustion. "Care to tell why you called so late?"

"I-I had a nightmare," he sobbed. That caught my attention. Sasuke sat straight up, knocking a few of the papers off his lap.

"What kind of nightmare has you crying so much?" Sasuke asked. He didn't want to know, because this would be the same kind of nightmare that Itachi would obviously be too timid to talk to Inoichi or Ino about, which was definitely a bad thing.

"It was…a man," Naruto sobbed. "He had red hair, and he had sharp teeth. He was…he was hitting me, calling me a faggot." Sasuke's eyes went wide as he thanked the gods that Naruto had called his cell phone. At least Itachi wasn't listening in on _this_ conversation. Sasuke put his jacket on, keeping the phone to his ear, as he talked.

"Listen, Naruto," he said. "I will be right there. I have my spare key, so just stay in your bedroom, okay?"

Sasuke might have broken speed records, because he was inside Naruto's house in 4 minutes, and they live over ten minutes away from each other. Sasuke opened the door to Naruto's room and was greeted by a frantically clingy hug. He couldn't even blame him if he had _that_ dream.

"It was awful," he sobbed into Sasuke's chest.

"Start from the beginning," Sasuke said. "Tell me every detail." As much as he'd hate to hear it, he had to know how much Naruto remembered. This was a good thing. At least he was on the road to recovery if he was starting to remember some repressed memories.

"It started off with you there, kissing me," he began. "Only I was a guy, so I thought the dream was just kind of weird. But then, the man was on the sofa when I got home and he…he hit me. He threw me to the ground. He called me a faggot and told me he'd make sure I'd never like it up the ass."

"What happened next?" Sasuke asked.

"I woke up," he said. "But it was so real. It was like it actually _happened_ to me. I know it's silly. We both know I'm not a guy, and I'm definitely not a gay guy –" Uh, yeah. "– but I still feel like it happened."

"Shh," Sasuke said, pulling the blond back into his chest. "You don't have to be scared anymore, Naruto. I'm here for you." He pulled away and looked into Sasuke's eyes with his sparkling cerulean orbs. Sasuke felt his heart jump, and he pulled the blond back in. It was times like this when he remembered that despite how insufferable Naruto could be, he kind of liked being his boyfriend.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Naruto asked. "You don't need to sleep with me, just…be with me?"

"Of course," Sasuke assured him. Tomorrow was a Sunday, so it didn't really matter if he was over at his house. They walked back to Naruto's bed, which Sasuke realized still smelled like he did before the blond bought his strawberry shampoo and conditioner and his berry fresh body wash. It held the distinct smell of ramen and oranges. It was a much nicer smell than the fruits that Naruto now perfumed himself in.

He curled into the Uchiha when they got into the bed, and Sasuke wrapped my arms securely around Naruto's abdomen. He couldn't help but be somewhat happy that Naruto was remembering who he really was. Sasuke might be closer to this Naruto, but he much preferred the old one. It wasn't long before Naruto had drifted off to sleep, and Sasuke succumbed even sooner.

* * *

Sasuke woke up a few hours later when the first rays of sunlight shone through the blinds. The sunlight made horizontal strips of light appear on Naruto's side of the bed. The way the light hit his pink comforter (he didn't know why he had an orange one after…the incident), and the way it looked hitting his blond hair, Naruto was a breathtaking vision. Although, Sasuke could do without being in the pink room. This new Naruto could sure be annoying when he's awake.

Looking at the clock, Sasuke decided he was up late enough to roll over and go back to sleep at 7:14, and he quickly went right back to sleep for another few hours.

When he woke up for the second time, he felt something so…weird. And to be honest, his brain didn't function properly in the morning. It's one of the reasons that he generally take showers first thing in the morning. He looked over to where Naruto was sleeping, but he didn't see anyone there.

It was then that he finally realized the weird feeling. It was morning wood. But not just morning wood. He opened his eyes in shock to see Naruto – _naked_ – sucking his cock at the foot of the bed.

Oh god! And he was good. And Sasuke was close. And…and..

"What the _fuck_ is going on?" came the loud voice from the doorway. Naruto's lips detached from my cock and Sasuke made a quick movement to cover myself.

"Ino!" we both yelled, horrified that she had walked in. And Sasuke was more horrified at himself. If she hadn't shown up, would he have let Naruto finished? Lil' Sasuke seemed to like that idea, but his _other_ head didn't like the idea of letting a mentally incapacitated person do that.

"Uchiha," she growled, glaring at the raven. He quickly pulled the jeans Naruto had left around his ankles up and buttoned them. "You're coming with me!" Sasuke dutifully followed her into her room, where she closed the door and slapped him. Second time in the last few days. And it was the same cheek, too.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she asked, obviously angry. Sasuke couldn't even blame her. He knew how bad that looked.

"I woke up and he was sucking me off!" Sasuke defended. He wasn't _completely_ guilty.

"Why are you even here? You slept here?" she asked.

"Naruto had a nightmare," Sasuke explained. "He remembered some of what happened with Kyuubi, but he thinks it was just a dream."

"Really?" Ino asked, suddenly forgetting the blow-job incident.

"Yes," Sasuke said. "He wanted me to stay, so I did. I wasn't going to push him away when he was that vulnerable. If you don't like what you walked in on, either tell your sister to keep his mouth to himself or just knock before entering a room." With that, Sasuke walked right out of her room, out of the house, and away.

Fuck. Why _did _he always pick the complicated ones.

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	6. Doctor's Orders

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Sasuke, or Sakura, or Ino, or Shikamaru, or…well, you get the picture.**

**This is the rewritten version, revised on 9-25-12. This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Six: Doctor's Orders

If Sasuke thought that being around Naruto was annoying before, then he didn't know if there was a word in the English language to describe how things were after the bedroom incident. Naruto got progressively more needy (and therefore annoying), as Sasuke struggled to stay away as much as possible without raising suspicions.

If he had never asked Naruto to pretend to be his boyfriend, this never would have happened. Having a hundred fan girls was much nicer than having one girlfriend, it seemed. It was kind of funny how badly this whole plan backfired. Maybe it was a sign.

Sasuke was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, when the latest member of the SasuNaru Fan Club decided to grace his presence. "What do you want, Sakura?" he asked, annoyed. Of course she chose to wear the complimentary SasuNaru buttons and shirts that had _anime drawings_ of Naruto and Sasuke that she received when she joined. What happened to the times when kids in America had lives?

"I just wanted to let you know that Naruto and I are going shopping later," Sakura said simply.

"Woop-dee-doo," Sasuke replied sarcastically. "You decided to come over here to just tell me that?"

"Well, that's not all," she said, slipping into her gossip-monger mode. "Naruto wants to buy herself…I'm sorry, _himself_…some lingerie for you." That made no sense. Why would Sasuke wear lingerie? It was after he voiced his question and Sakura gave him a scrutinizing look that he realized what she'd originally meant. "He's trying to seduce you, you idiot!" she yelled at him. "He's been trying for days. You managed to buy some time with the whole 'Jewish' thing, but now you have to follow through with it, or he'll know you were lying, and he'll use whatever we buy today to get you into his bed."

"So I really have to pretend to be Jewish?" Sasuke asked. He was hoping he wouldn't have to take his act to school, but it was seeming to be inevitable.

"It's either that or you'll have to explain to Naruto why you don't want to sleep with her anymore," Sakura explained. A smirk spread across her face. "She told me about your…wake-up this morning."

"Say one word and I'll kill you in your sleep," Sasuke threatened, narrowing his eyes. Sakura had to contain her smirk – she'd already told a few people, so Sasuke would have to deal with it. "Now get out. Gaara's coming over, and the last thing I need is for you to get him asking questions about it."

"Did I hear my name?" came a voice from the doorway. Sasuke smacked himself in the head as Gaara walked over, wearing his normal, emotionless expression. "What don't you want me to ask questions about?"

"Noth –"

"Naruto gave Sasuke a blow job this morning!" Sakura squealed over Sasuke's attempted deflection. It was times like this that made Sasuke wonder why he became friends with the pinkette. Didn't he just threaten to murder her not five seconds ago? She'd better sleep with one eye open tonight.

"You let him blow you?" Gaara asked, showing genuine shock. Not that his expression was even _close_ to Sasuke's was when he woke up finding Naruto's mouth around his cock.

"I didn't let him!" Sasuke denied. "I was sleeping!"

"In Naruto's bed," Sakura piped up.

"What part of murder don't you understand?" Sasuke asked the girl, who shrugged and smiled mischievously.

"Sorry, Sasuke, but you're really not as intimidating as you like to think you are," she said triumphantly. Sasuke gave her the meanest glare he could, and Gaara turned a similar gaze to her. He hated her gossip tendencies more than Sasuke did, if that was possible. "You don't have to join in," she whined to the redhead. "Besides," she continued, turning back to Sasuke. "You're so angry. Who pissed in _your_ cereal this morning?"

"An annoying girl with pink hair and a SasuNaru t-shirt," Sasuke spat, causing Sakura to huff and cross her arms.

"Fine," she said tritely. "I _was_ going to say that you could watch me and Naruto pick out lingerie and see how he looks in it, but I guess you're not interested. Besides, I can tell when I'm not wanted." She stuck her nose in the air and walked out of Sasuke's bedroom, leaving him alone with Gaara.

"If she knew when she wasn't wanted, she wouldn't have come here at all," Sasuke muttered. Gaara smirked, but Sasuke's face then went blank, remembering what the pinkette had said. Naruto. How he looks. In lingerie.

"Put that away," Gaara said, nodding his head to Sasuke's pants, where a bulge was slowly forming. Sasuke glared at him weakly, but Gaara shrugged it off. "Anyway, I was going to suggest going to the mall, but know that I know they'll be there –"

"Let's go," Sasuke said, jumping off the bed and grabbing his coat. A scant twenty minutes later, they were at the Konoha mall.

"So where do you want to go?" Sasuke asked, trying to figure out which store Sakura would take Naruto to in order to find lingerie.

"Anywhere that doesn't sell women's underwear is fine by me," Gaara said, bursting the Uchiha's bubble.

"Fine, I can take a hint," Sasuke mumbled. They walked down the mall, window shopping at a few stores. Sasuke got some clothes from Aeropostale, while Gaara insisted on getting his clothes from Hot Topic and Zumiez. They had, essentially, opposite wardrobe and fashion preferences. Sasuke liked to dress in dark colors like blue and black, but usually went to more preppy stores. Gaara, on the other hand, liked to wear reds and yellows – brighter colors – and ended up going to all the goth places to find them. It was pretty weird.

The two finally finished shopping and decided to stop at the food court for a late lunch. Sasuke decided to get a Subway sandwich as Gaara got some pizza. After they got their food and reunited to find a seat, Sasuke managed to catch sight of Sakura, Ino, Naruto, Tenten, and Hinata sitting together at a table, eating various different salads. Sasuke smirked. He knew that Naruto hated salad. Gaara rolled his eyes and redirected Sasuke to the other side of the food court where Naruto was out of sight. Gaara was the first person to see him.

"Lee," the redhead whispered when he saw the black-haired teen sitting in his chair with Sai. Sasuke rolled his eyes. Lee and Sai were friends with Naruto, Ino, and Kiba, and they usually sat together at lunch in school (with Choji rounding out the table). Unfortunately, Gaara had a huge crush on him that had been going on for years. If Sasuke thought about it, Gaara had liked Lee before he'd even known the Uchiha.

"Will you just bone him and stop looking at him like a lovesick girl?" Sasuke asked when they were seated. Gaara had 'strategically' positioned himself so that he could see Lee over Sasuke's shoulder when he looked up.

"Coming from the guy who dragged me here to watch his cross-dressing boyfriend try on lingerie?" Gaara asked, and Sasuke had to concede. Sasuke shrugged, and they continued to eat the meal in silence like they normally did. The reason that Gaara and Sasuke had been such good friends was because neither of them needed to talk. Unlike a certain _other_ friend of Sasuke's who always likes to talk. Sasuke's thoughts about Sakura led to thoughts about Naruto, and he hoped that Sakura at least had the decency to take pictures.

He stopped thinking about the blond just in time to notice Gaara staring over his shoulder at Lee again. Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes. "Just go talk to him," he suggested.

"He's with Sai," Gaara said dismissively. "And Kiba just showed up a few minutes ago, too." Sasuke looked over at the table and saw that the brunet had, indeed, joined his other friends. Kiba turned around and saw Sasuke and Gaara look at him, and glared slightly. Sasuke turned back to Gaara.

"So?" Sasuke asked. "Just ask to talk to Lee in private."

Gaara's eyes quirked, and he smirked ever-so-slightly. "I don't think that will be necessary." _Why not?_ Sasuke almost asked, but it seemed his facial expression gave enough of an indication for Gaara to answer the unasked question. "They're coming over here right now," Gaara said.

Almost immediately after Gaara spoke, Sasuke heard another voice, this one belonging to the Inuzuka. "Uchiha," came his growl. Sasuke turned to see Kiba had already gotten there pretty quickly, while Lee and Sai were still walking towards them at a less intense pace.

"What do you want, Inuzuka?" Sasuke asked uninterestedly.

"I want to know what your intentions with Naruto are," he said. "As his best friend, I need to know." Sasuke looked at Gaara, and they had a silent exchange using their eyes. After a moment, Gaara shrugged and stood up, walking over to meet Sai and Lee halfway between the tables. Kiba decided to fill the vacant seat.

"My 'intentions' are totally pure, I assure you," Sasuke said in a tone that left much to be doubted. Despite actually having pure intentions, he had no desire to alleviate and concerns Kiba might have. The kid was annoying and obnoxious, and Sasuke wondered how Naruto could even stand him.

"Then why did I overhear Ino telling Sakura about you letting him give you a b-blow job," he said. He was trying to sound intimidating, but stumbled over the last word, causing Sasuke to smirk. Kiba must not have found it all that funny. "This isn't a joke, you know! This is Naruto's life, his sanity."

"I am well aware of that," Sasuke said, giving the attitude back just as harshly as it was received. "If you have questions about Ino being a gossip, then I suggest you take it up with her." Kiba was starting to boil, and Sasuke found it very entertaining. "While you're at it, you could talk to Sakura about it, too. The less gossip mongers we have around here, the better. As for me, I don't particularly have any desire to engage in a conversation about Naruto with you."

"That's too bad," Kiba said, obviously not enjoying the way he was being played. Sasuke used an uncaring tone and a formal voice to steer the conversation in the way he wanted it. Kiba had to struggle just to get the answers he came for, and that was all Sasuke wanted. "I saw Naruto looking at underwear in Victoria's Secret," he said, the shadow of a blush appearing on his cheeks. "He's obviously much more invested in this than you."

"He's the one who thinks we're together," Sasuke informed him. "I am pretending to date him; actually investing myself in a relationship with someone I don't have feelings for wasn't a part of the deal." He didn't have to tell Kiba that that was happening anyway. "As for his underwear shopping, I'm sure that I never suggested such a thing. If you have issues with it, why don't you bring it up with his sister who brought him there, or the other three girls who are encouraging it." Kiba glared some more.

"You didn't deny that you let him blow you," Kiba said observantly. "I guess it's true, then, you asshole. It wasn't enough that you got him raped –"

"I'm done with you," Sasuke said, standing up with his tray in hand, ready to throw out his garbage. As he dumped the empty plates in the trash and placed the tray on top, he felt Kiba roughly grab his arm and yank him back.

"Don't walk away from me just because you don't like what I have to say, Uchiha," Kiba said angrily. "I didn't realize you were such a coward." Sasuke decided to ignore the jibe instead of reacting as Kiba wanted him too.

"Why do you even care?" Sasuke asked, jerking his arm so that Kiba let go. He could see Sai approaching out of the corner of his eye. "So what if I let him blow me? That's _our_ business. You might be his friend, but you don't have a say in what we do together."

"He deserves more than you," Kiba said dangerously, looking suddenly much more intense than Sasuke had seen him before (which was saying something). Sasuke looked perplexed at this statement, wondering why Kiba said it so…so…he couldn't even find a word for it. Things were starting to get worse.

Yeah, Naruto did deserve better than Sasuke. The Uchiha wasn't about to argue that. But he _wanted_ Sasuke. Everyone else was able to get over their anger at Sasuke for manipulating and blackmailing Naruto, knowing that creating a safe, non-hostile environment was essential for his recovery. He and Ino were amicable, if not friends. Choji, Sai, and Lee didn't really have much contact with him, but they were friendly as well, when the need arose. Inoichi didn't have any hostility towards Sasuke, or at least didn't show it, and Sasuke and Naruto's respective groups of friends were coming together slowly. Months ago, Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten would never hang out with Ino and Naruto, and now they were lingerie shopping together. The only person besides Kiba who showed any hostility towards Sasuke at all was their principal, Tsunade, who also happened to be Naruto's godmother. Sasuke chalked that up to being old and cranky – Tsunade didn't really like many people besides her brothers and Naruto, from what Sasuke knew.

So why was Kiba so different? Why was it more important to him that Sasuke and Naruto _not_ be together for the sake of Naruto's mental health. Something about Sasuke and Naruto being 'together' seemed to be worse to him than Naruto having to deal with breakups and heartbreak with an already-fragile mind.

Then a thought hit Sasuke. _He deserves better than you_, Kiba had said. _'Are you talking about yourself?'_ Sasuke asked the brunet in his mind. Was that possible? Was Kiba even gay? And even if he was gay, there was no way to prove that he had feelings for Naruto at all. Was Sasuke just being ridiculous? There was only one way to find out.

"Yes," Sasuke confirmed with a smirk. "He does deserve better, but he chose me anyway. He _chose_ to continue to try and get me into bed, he _chose_ to go out on dates with me, and he _chose_ to let me fuck his mouth." A little embellishing couldn't hurt, could it? It's not like Kiba would have believed a denial or an excuse. "You should have seen him," Sasuke taunted with his smirk firmly in place. "He was _so_ hot."

The Uchiha couldn't tell if the red on Kiba's face was from embarrassment, anger, or a combination of the two. He probably would have gotten punched out by the Inuzuka had Sai not chosen that moment to arrive.

"Is everything alright?" he asked in his weird voice. "Lee, Gaara, and I thought things were getting tense here." Sasuke looked over his shoulder towards Lee and Gaara. The black-haired guy was speaking animatedly about something (he always was, Sasuke reflected), while Gaara listened and looked intensely in Sasuke's direction.

"Of course," Sasuke said quickly. "I was just teasing Kiba about his crush. It was no big deal." That sentence could do one of two things. If Kiba didn't really like Naruto like that, he would take it as just an insult to his masculinity in response to his concerns, and would react hostilely. If Kiba _did_ have feelings for Naruto, however, he would probably get even redder, start sputtering, or act nervous in some other fashion. He might still react hostilely, but there would be more there to see.

Sasuke didn't know whether he was glad or not that he saw the latter happen. Instead of speaking, Kiba's blush deepened as he opened his mouth in shock. How did Sasuke guess? He quickly tried to wipe his face of the expression, buy Sai saw it.

"You have a crush?" he asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. "On who?" Kiba ignored the question and glared at Sasuke, who smirked triumphantly in return. Poor Hinata. The girl just couldn't get lucky could she? She'd once had a crush on Sasuke that ended when she found out Sasuke was gay. Then she got a crush on Kiba, and it looked like it would end in the same fashion.

"You asked me why I cared," Kiba continued, talking to Sasuke and ignoring Sai's presence. "I'm his friend. And when I find out that you took advantage of him while he's in a mentally and emotionally stunted state, it pisses me off."

"I answer to Inoichi," Sasuke told him. "Naruto is his responsibility, and I make sure not do anything that could adversely affect Naruto without telling him first. I tell Ino things too, because she is Naruto's sister. You're nothing, and you've earned no respect from me. I have no reason to tell you anything about my relationship with Naruto."

"Asshole," Kiba said, finally throwing the punch that Sasuke half-expected before Sai showed up. His fist hit Sasuke square in the jaw, and Sasuke lost his stance. When Kiba grabbed his collar and pulled him up, he wasn't prepared to stop him. He could hear the food court go quiet as the fight erupted. Gaara and Lee were running towards them, Sasuke knew, and he could see the girls and Naruto looking at the situation from across the food court from the corner of his eyes. They would be here soon, and Sasuke knew Kiba would get humiliated and ostracized. It was enough to make the pain of the punch to the gut much duller, and when Gaara shoved him, Sasuke fell from his grip.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Gaara asked angrily. Sai looked shocked from the turn of events from the seemingly-fine scene into the hostile one it had become.

"Sasuke's getting what he deserves," Kiba said. Gaara positioned himself between Kiba and Sasuke. He knew that the brunet had no desire to hurt him, so he wouldn't go after Sasuke now.

"No, Kiba!" Lee said. "This is not a joyous expression of your youth!" When Kiba tried to push around Gaara, Lee stopped him and pushed him back, joining Gaara in separating the fight.

"All this because he knows who you have a crush on?" Sai asked, more to himself than to Kiba, but no one paid him any mind.

"What the hell do you mean, 'he's getting what he deserves'?" Gaara asked, narrowing his eyes. Kiba seemed to have calmed down past the point of violence, but was still close to another eruption.

"The fucker took advantage of Naruto!" Kiba exclaimed as the girls showed up. "Fuck!"

"Someone was raised by wolves," Sasuke muttered. Naruto immediately came to him, touching his face where Kiba had hit, and placing a hand gently on his stomach where Kiba's second punch had landed.

"Sasuke, are you alright?" he asked hurriedly.

"Fine," Sasuke assured him. "Just get your rabid dog under control," he said, loudly enough to entice Kiba to attack again. The dog managed to control his desires, though. Sasuke looked up to see Ino smack him upside the head.

"What was that about?" Ino asked angrily. The girls had obviously not heard Kiba talking about Sasuke taking advantage of Naruto, which was a relief. Hinata, Tenten, and Sakura all joined Naruto in fawning over Sasuke, and Sasuke was grateful that there weren't any fangirls around there, or there would be a mob.

Kiba struggled to find an excuse, but he couldn't exactly bring up the blow job incident in front of Naruto. Not only would it seem like a huge invasion of privacy, but it would also be hard to explain why it made Sasuke bad without implying to Naruto that he's not of sound mind. But if he didn't say anything, then he would look like even more of an idiot.

"Why did you do this, Kiba?" Naruto asked him, hurt evident in his voice. Sasuke hated that sound. It wasn't natural hearing Naruto sound hurt like that. It wasn't something that Sasuke wanted to hear again.

"I…I…" Kiba looked around from face to face. Ino, Naruto, and Lee looked at him with different mixtures of disapproval and disappointment; Sasuke, Gaara, Sakura, and Tenten looked at him with an angry hostility; Hinata just looked shocked by the whole situation, and Sai had his usual emotionless facial expression. He lowered his head, realizing he wouldn't be able to win this round. All Sasuke had to do was take a few punches, and he came out smelling like a rose.

"I…I…" he searched for more words. He knew what he had to say to dispel the situation, but he couldn't say them. He couldn't just…admit to it. He couldn't accept this defeat. Sasuke had done something wrong! Sure, Kiba shouldn't have thrown punches, but Sasuke was provoking him! He was throwing his actions in Kiba's face! There was no way that Ino wouldn't have done the same thing. But he couldn't explain it right now because Naruto was there. It was like he fell for a perfectly-laid, intricate-as-all-fuck trap.

"I…I…" he gulped down his pride. "I'm sorry."

SNSNSN

After the Kiba incident, Naruto and Ino had walked off together, Ino trying to calm the other blond down. Naruto was incredibly angry at Kiba, and said a few harsh words to him. To Kiba's credit, he just stood and took it all, looking down in shame like a dog who was being reprimanded for scratching up the sofa. Kiba, Lee, and Sai left together, Kiba grumbling to the other two about Sasuke, while Tenten and Hinata had to leave anyway if they were going to make it back for one of the Hyuga family's signature dinner parties.

This left Sakura, Gaara, and Sasuke sitting down at the table in the food court, where the pinkette was chiding Sasuke for his taunts.

"You shouldn't tease Kiba about these sort of things," Sakura said when Sasuke had admitted to throwing his crush on Naruto into the brunette's face. "Kiba probably has genuine feelings for Naruto. They've been friends for a while, so it's obviously more than just attraction for him." That felt weird for Sasuke to think about. Could Kiba have real feelings for Naruto? Not that it really made a difference to him. Even if Kiba was in genuine love with the blond, Sasuke would have had no problem throwing it in his face just because of how insufferable Kiba could be.

"You don't really seem surprised that Kiba's gay," Gaara observed, looking at Sakura suspiciously. "You almost seemed to…know that about him, already." To Sakura's credit, she had the decency to blush.

"Of course I knew," she said. Sasuke was about to ask why she didn't tell him, but Sakura beat her to it. "It wasn't my secret to tell, so I figured I should keep quiet."

"Yeah," Sasuke said sarcastically. "You had no problem telling everyone and their uncle about Naruto giving me a blow job, but when someone you aren't even friends with comes out to you, you decide to keep quiet."

"He didn't come out to me," Sakura told him. "Naruto confided it to me and Ino, because she was concerned about –" She cut herself off.

"What was _he_ concerned about?" Sasuke asked, correcting Sakura on her pronoun misuse. The only thing that bothered Sasuke more than Naruto acting like a girl was when other people called him 'she' or 'her.' _He_ was a _he_. Sasuke had already seen enough of the blond to know that.

"He didn't want me to tell you," Sakura said, biting her bottom lip in apprehension. Sasuke and Gaara both gave her looks that begged the question why Sakura was trying to be more loyal to Naruto than she was to Sasuke, so she sighed and relented. "She thinks that you and Kiba are secretly together."

"_What?_" Sasuke asked. This just kept getting better and better. Why would anyone think he would fuck dog-boy? Why would _anyone_ in their right mind want to fuck dog-boy? He was more annoying than Naruto, and not even half as attractive. To top it all off, he had a temper – and a hell of a right hook, as Sasuke recalled.

"Well, Kiba came out to him," Sakura said. "It was a few weeks ago, right after the incident." She hated to say 'rape.' In fact, most of his friends strayed away from using that word, preferring to call it 'the incident' or 'that night.' To be honest, Sasuke found it annoying. Calling it 'the incident' or 'that night' just seemed to lessen the magnitude of what happened. "It was all around the same time that you grew distant and stopped having sex with her – him!" she corrected after Sasuke glared at her.

"Just because Kiba's gay and Naruto thinks _I'm_ gay, he thinks that I've lowered my standards enough to date _him_? I'd rather date Gaara!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" the redhead asked, but Sasuke didn't respond. Instead, Sakura decided to tell Sasuke some of the other reasons.

"She knows that Kiba has strong feelings for someone," Sakura told them. "Kiba admitted that, but flat-out refused to tell Naruto who it was. Obviously, we now know it was Naruto, but she – he – thought it was _you_. And then, to make it worse, she overheard you talking to Gaara, and you specifically said 'I can't believe I'm actually attracted to him." Sasuke and Gaara exchanged looks, and Sasuke glared at him.

Gaara snorted. "Yeah, like it's _my_ fault you outed yourself to your eavesdropping _girl_friend," he said, purposely calling Naruto a girl to irk Sasuke.

"Well, I guess that's it, then," Sasuke said, setting his hands on the table. "It's officially over. I've done everything I could to subvert his suspicions. I started going to temple regularly and practicing Judaism, I've gone far enough with him to ease his fears without actually going far enough that could be considered 'taking advantage of him,' and I've abided by every rule Inoichi and Ino had set for this. And despite all that, Naruto still managed to figure out that I'm gay. I guess I have to tell Inoichi and Ino that this is over."

"Not so fast," Sakura said quickly. "You can still salvage this."

"How?" Sasuke asked, angrily and loudly. How could this possibly be salvaged? He was pretending to date someone who thought he was a girl. This girl/guy believed Sasuke to be gay, _which he was_. There was no way to come back from this.

"Tell him you're bi," Sakura suggested. "Tell him that it doesn't matter, because you're still in love with him. And when he asks who you are attracted to, just name the most masculine guy you know. Then not only will she be confident about the porn from your computer and the conversation with Gaara, but she will also be relieved that this guy poses no threat to your relationship since he seems straight."

"And who would you say is the most masculine guy you know?" Sasuke asked Sakura. It was Gaara, who answered, though.

"Lee," Gaara said instantly. Sasuke turned to him, almost forgetting that Gaara had spent a small time with Lee before. From the way he looked, though, Sasuke could tell something was wrong. "The entire time he spoke to me, he only talked about one thing." He looked over at Sakura, and Sasuke immediately winced.

"What is it with all the straight guys having crushes on her," Sasuke muttered bitterly to Gaara, remembering when he had to dangle three dates with the girl over Naruto's head to get him to consider dating her.

"I'm sorry," Sakura said, completely sincerely. She knew that Lee was Gaara's first crush too. While it wasn't really all that surprising considering the way he looked at her from across the classroom sometimes in various classes, it was still a little worse knowing that the suspicions were confirmed. It was then that Ino and Naruto decided to show up.

"Sasuke, can we talk?" Naruto asked, and Sasuke sighed, getting out of his seat and surrendering it to Ino. Naruto led him away from his friends after he promised to call Gaara later, and they eventually made it to a secluded section of Bloomingdale's Furniture. Naruto and Sasuke sat down on one of the nicer sofas in the room for the conversation. Naruto obviously wanted to be comfortable and away from other people. "I know about you and Kiba," he said, sounding resigned. Sasuke first noticed his eyes then, how they looked puffy from crying. He knew then that he couldn't just let things fall apart with Naruto then. He had to take Sakura's advice and make things work.

"Why would you think that?" Sasuke asked, not needing to try hard to sound offended by the statement.

"I know you're gay, Sasuke, even though you've done your best to hide it from me," Naruto said. "Are you really that ashamed of yourself?" _'You have no idea,'_ Sasuke thought.

"I'm not gay…" Sasuke insisted.

"I don't want you to lie to me anym–"

"…I'm bi," Sasuke said, interrupting Naruto's statement. The blond looked like Sasuke had slapped him. Naruto's face suddenly contorted, looking like he was about to burst into tears.

"I guess that's it then," Naruto said. "I…I wish you and Kiba the best." He stood to walk away, but Sasuke reached out, wrapped his hand around Naruto's wrist, and pulled him back down on the sofa. He pulled the blond into the kiss, which seemed to shock Naruto. His face was wet from the tears that had started to spill down his face, but Sasuke could ignore that.

Soon, Naruto responded by opening his mouth, admitting Sasuke's tongue in. Neither of them kissed in a frenzy like usual. This was soft and slow. Naruto was slow because this might be their last kiss. Sasuke was slow because he wanted to convey how much Naruto meant to him. And the blond did mean a lot to him, Sasuke realized. Even though their relationship was nowhere near conventional, and even though the person he was 'dating' was only dating him because he was certifiably crazy, Sasuke knew that if their relationship ended, he'd be just as torn apart as Naruto. It was scary realizing it, but what he felt for Naruto went beyond just physical attraction. Suddenly, there were feelings there that weren't there when this had started.

Sasuke could feel the same tingly feeling in his stomach that he'd felt that day on the roof of the school before Naruto went home, before the rape. It wasn't as intense as it had been up there, but it was there now, and Sasuke realized what it was. It was the feeling of attachment. It was the feeling that if he had to spend the rest of his life attached at the lips with Naruto, that wouldn't be so bad, would it?

Naruto tasted the same as he did that day, too. Everything about him had changed from his clothes to his smell. But he still used the same toothpaste, and he still had the same Naruto flavor. No matter what fruity shampoo and body wash he used, no matter what perfume he wore, Naruto would always _taste_ like Naruto.

Now if only Naruto could remember he was a guy!

Sasuke slowly pulled out of the kiss, and looked into Naruto's eyes deeply. Naruto was visibly shocked by Sasuke's actions, so it was up to Sasuke to explain.

"I'm not with Kiba," Sasuke said softly. "I don't even like him. He's obnoxious, uncouth, and an overall dumbass. You are the only person I want to be with." He was surprised at how true that was. He would have to start lying soon to cover his ass, but it was nice to say something like that and mean it.

"So that fight back there wasn't like…" Naruto tried to articulate it, but he couldn't find the words. Sasuke seemed to understand what he was implying.

"What, like a lover's quarrel?" he asked, almost sounding amused. "Of course not. We were fighting over you."

"Me?" Naruto asked, surprised. Now was the part where he would have to start lying.

"You're like a sister to him," Sasuke told Naruto. "He doesn't think that I'm good enough for you, but I told him that you were a big girl and could make your own decisions." Naruto seemed to accept that easily enough.

"I heard you talking to Gaara," Naruto stated. "You mentioned being attracted to someone. A guy."

"Lee," Sasuke said, taking Gaara's word that Lee was as obsessed with Sakura as he seemed. Not only was Lee straight as an arrow, but he didn't have eyes for any girls besides Sakura, if Gaara was right. Besides that, Lee was loyal and a true friend to Naruto. There was no way that Naruto would feel threatened by Lee. "It's just attraction. I'm sure you find other guys hot, right?" Sasuke asked. Naruto gave a nod, frown on his face still. "It was like that. The only reason it was even worthy of mentioning to Gaara was that it made me realize that I was bi."

"Really?" Naruto asked. "So, do you want to be with Lee?"

"No," Sasuke said quickly. "Lee's hot, but why would I give you up? I'm not just attracted to you, I _like_ you. We have a connection. I would never even think of giving up you for him. I love you."

"You lied to me," Naruto accused him, and Sasuke nodded.

"I'm sorry for that," Sasuke admitted. "You had started to accuse me of being gay while I was still struggling to figure out what I was. I shouldn't have lied, but I wasn't ready to even admit it to myself. But I'm done lying now. I love you, Naruto, and no one – girl _or_ guy – could change that."

They were soon kissing passionately outside Sasuke's bedroom door, the ride home from the mall having been a blur. Luckily for Sasuke, Itachi wasn't home to disturb them. They had the entire house to themselves. Wait…that might not be such a good thing. He and Naruto were both horny, and he didn't like to think of what might happen up there in Sasuke's bedroom.

The raven threw open the door behind him as he back up, Naruto's mouth never leaving his own. He quickly unbuttoned his jacket and tossed it aside, doing the same thing with Naruto's grey cardigan. Naruto's hands immediately began to push the hem of Sasuke's shirt up, and the Uchiha allowed it.

Naruto pulled his mouth from Sasuke's for just long enough to pull the latter's shirt off. The shirt was discarded to the side as Naruto unbuttoned his blouse, allowing it to join the Uchiha's shirt. Hands roamed over bodies. Sasuke tweaked Naruto's nipple, and the blond moaned at the touch. When Sasuke lowered his mouth over the other, Naruto started shaking, unconsciously thrusting his barely-clothed erection onto Sasuke's own.

Naruto's hands traveled to the buttons on Sasuke's jeans, and he unbuttoned them. The zipper was unzipped next. Naruto pushed him down onto the bed as he began to lower Sasuke's jeans. Sasuke propped himself up on his elbow, watching Naruto hungrily unclothe him. '_I shouldn't be letting this happen,_' Sasuke said to himself. '_If I let Naruto do this to me, then I'm no better than Kyuubi. Fucking a mentally incapacitated person is, for all intents and purposes, rape.'_

But it felt too good. He couldn't stop Naruto from squeezing the erection in Sasuke's boxers, and he couldn't stop Naruto from lowering them to expose his hard length. Naruto leaned down and gave the tip a small lick before looking up at Sasuke seductively.

"Oh, god, I want you, Naruto," Sasuke said. "You have no idea how much I need this."

"I need it too," Naruto said, leaning down to lick up Sasuke's erection from the base to the slit on the head. "Just let it happen."

Sasuke said no. Or, at least, he tried. The word was caught in his throat as Naruto engulfed his cock in his mouth once more, and Sasuke threw his head back in pleasure. '_This is wrong. This is wrong. This is wrong.'_

Naruto hummed around Sasuke's cock, and he wondered if this would have ever been possible had Naruto not been raped. Unfortunately, the answer was probably no. The only reason Naruto was doing this was because he was sick. He was sick, and Sasuke was even sicker if he was going to let Naruto go through with this. He had to stop it.

"Ahh," Sasuke said, trying to say the word 'stop.' "Stahhhh.." he said, this time getting closer. Naruto lowered his mouth completely on Sasuke's cock, his nose buried in raven hairs, and Sasuke – to his own horror – bucked his hips. Naruto pulled himself off and was about to slam his mouth back down when Sasuke took his chance to yell "Stop!" The word seemed to echo on the walls, and it seemed louder than it really was due to the complete silence in the house.

"You don't want me to stop," Naruto said, planting a small kiss on each of Sasuke's balls. "You know you want this." His hands moved to Sasuke's erection, slowly stroking it. "Don't worry about your religion – this isn't real sex. Surely God would let you have this." He lowered his mouth once more and engulfed a nut in his mouth, sucking on it slightly before letting it go. "After all, what kind of God would tell you _not_ to have this much pleasure?"

"Oh god," Sasuke said after Naruto engulfed the second ball. When Naruto let go of it, he smiled at Sasuke.

"That's the spirit," he said with a smirk. He was about to lower himself on Sasuke's prick again, but Sasuke knew that if that happened, his self-control would be gone. He had to stop this now before it went any further. Was what he did the most tactful thing to do? No. Was it the nicest thing to do? Nope.

But Sasuke didn't have time to think about tact and kindness. Instead, he shoved Naruto away so hard that he fell off the bed with a thud.

"What was that about?!" Naruto yelled, obviously enraged by this action. "God, that _hurt_," he said, rubbing his right shoulder. He obviously fell pretty hard on it, and Sasuke could have hit himself. Of course the only thing he accomplished was hurting Naruto. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"I-I'm sorry," Sasuke said quickly. He knew he'd need to think up an excuse now, and playing the Jewish card wouldn't really help the situation. "I can't do this."

"Why not?!" Naruto asked angrily. Sasuke got off his bed and began putting on his underwear again, followed by his jeans. "God, why are you acting so weird lately? I know you're not Jewish, Sasuke, it was a pathetic lie. And you claim that you're not gay, so what's this all about?" He wasn't so angry anymore, more…confused. "Is there someone else?"

"No!" Sasuke said quickly, giving Naruto an intense look. "You're the only one for me. You know that."

"Then what is it!?" Naruto screamed. "I keep trying to think about this. I think of it over and over again, and it just makes my head hurt! Why won't you tell me what's going on with you? Why are you so distant? What happened to you?"

"I-I can't tell you," Sasuke admitted. There was no option left. Now that Naruto had just poked a big hole in his Jewish card, he was out of excuses. "Please just trust me that there's a good reason for this. I wouldn't lie to you."

"Like you lied about being Jewish?" Naruto asked. "Like after I confronted you about being gay, you _lied_ about being straight? God, Sasuke. You want me to trust you, but you haven't told me the truth once since I was in the hospital. You're going to tell me the truth right now, Sasuke, or we are through."

He couldn't tell him the truth, though. And he couldn't tell another lie, either. Even if he could think up one, it would only be a matter of time before Naruto poked a hole through that, and _then_ where would he be? He couldn't just _not answer_, though. He needed to say something. Maybe he should risk telling Naruto the truth?

No, he wouldn't even believe it. Naruto would just accuse him of lying and walk out that door. He'd tell Ino what he'd said, and Ino would tell Inoichi, and they would all find out that he did the one thing he shouldn't have done, besides getting into bed with him. But it was reaching the point where he had to make that decision: sleep with him or tell him the truth.

"I'm waiting," Naruto said, glaring at Sasuke intently. Sasuke's fists balled into the shirt he had picked up, and he closed his eyes. He needed an excuse. He needed something…anything…a fucking phone call to interrupt the conversation would be more than welcome right now. Hell, Itachi bursting into the room would do at this point.

"I can't…" Sasuke trailed off. He couldn't just refuse to answer. What should he do? Finally, he settled on the option. "You have to ask Inoichi." It was an odd answer in Naruto's mind, Sasuke knew, but he couldn't make these big decisions. In the end, it was Inoichi who would have to come up with an excuse.

"My dad?" Naruto asked, suddenly even more confused. "What does he have to do with anything?" Suddenly, Naruto's expression changed. "Did he threaten you?"

"What?"

"Did he tell you not to sleep with me?" Naruto asked. "What did he say?"

Sasuke was glad that Naruto decided to pick up his blouse and start walking away, because he couldn't come up with an answer to his question anyway. Suddenly, Sasuke realized that Naruto was going to his house to confront his father, and Sasuke figured he'd have to be there. He couldn't just let this go down without being there. He quickly put his shirt on and followed down the stairs. By the time he got out to the driveway, Naruto was already walking away.

"Naruto, stop!" Sasuke yelled out. _'Why did you do that?'_ he asked himself. _'You were almost rid of the problem. What possessed you to do that!?'_ "Y-You didn't bring a car!" Sasuke told the blond. "You expect to walk home?"

"Well, I'm obviously not asking _you_ for a ride, Sasuke," Naruto spat back. "You don't wanna touch me, talk to me, or be involved with me. I can see that now." He took a deep breath. "I just wish it didn't take so long for me to realize that."

"Stop being ridiculous," Sasuke told him.

"Don't call me names," Naruto commanded back.

"Of course I love you, Naruto," Sasuke yelled. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have bothered pretending to. You know me. I don't do anything or say anything unless I mean it. I wouldn't waste months of my life playing 'boyfriend' with someone who I didn't like."

"You obviously can't tell the truth to save our relationship," Naruto said. "If we really mean that little to you, then fuck you, and fuck our relationship. Fuck every single minute I spent thinking that you were a good guy. Fuck your lies, and fuck my naivety. Fuck your brother, and fuck my father, and fuck you! Fuck you!" He was suddenly crying, and Sasuke had no idea what to do. Naruto's crying turned to sobbing, and he fell to his knees on the pavement. Sasuke didn't even think before he rushed to Naruto's aide.

He knelt down and put his hand on Naruto's shoulder, hoping to ease the crying. Naruto flinched when Sasuke touched him, and looked up at the raven. He looked disorientated, like he didn't know where he was. When he saw Sasuke, his eyes opened in fear.

"Get away from me!" Naruto said, falling backwards on his ass and shuffling away from Sasuke. What could have happened to him?

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Sasuke asked. Naruto's eyes showed unabashed fear, and it pained Sasuke to be looked at that way. "If this is about our fight, I'm sorry. Let's just go inside, and we can talk about it like rational –"

"I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITH YOU!" Naruto exclaimed, scurrying back further. "Not after what you did to me!"

"What I…?" What was that about? He wasn't making any sense. "What do you mean, 'what I did to you'?"

"You know what you did!" Naruto yelled out loudly. He broke into sobs again, but when Sasuke tried to approach him to calm him down, Naruto backed away again, even more frantically than before. "You were supposed to love me!"

"I _do_ love you," Sasuke told him. "You know I love you."

"YOU DON'T DO THAT TO PEOPLE YOU LOVE!" he yelled. Was this about the lying? Why was he acting so weird? Suddenly, Sasuke had a weird feeling that this wasn't the same Naruto he'd been moments ago.

"Shh," Sasuke said, trying to calm Naruto down. He didn't know whether he wanted his hunch to be true or not. "Calm down, Naruto. I'll call Ino and she'll come over, and you two can have another girls' night out, alright? I won't bother you."

"I'M NOT A GIRL!" Naruto yelled out, and Sasuke almost flinched at the exclamation. So he was right…this was the real Naruto. But why was he so scared of Sasuke? Was it because he was ashamed of trying to blow him twice? That could definitely cause some sort of reaction. "JUST BECAUSE YOU DID WHAT YOU DID TO ME DOESN'T MAKE ME A GIRL!" So it was about that, then?

"What do you mean, what I did to you?" Sasuke asked. "_You_ asked for it. You were begging for it. I had to stop you."

"LIAR!" Naruto yelled, standing up. He seemed much less scared and much more angry, and suddenly Sasuke felt the tables were turned. Suddenly, _he_ was the scared one. "I told you over and over again! I told you I wasn't gay, and that I didn't want this. But you wouldn't listen."

"Naruto," Sasuke said, wide eyed.

"You told me that you were going to make sure I wouldn't take it up the ass again!" Naruto exclaimed, and suddenly Sasuke realized what was happening. Naruto…thought that Sasuke was the one who raped him! He was acting like that, at the very least. "I begged you. I told you I wasn't gay, that I wasn't with Sasuke!" Sasuke was confused once more. If Naruto didn't think he was speaking to Sasuke, then who did he think he was speaking to? Kyuubi? "You held a gun at me, _your son_!" Well, that seemed to confirm Sasuke's suspicions. "You held that gun at me, and made me get undressed. You made me suck you off, and when I thought it was over, you raped me! You raped me! I hate you!"

Sasuke walked towards Naruto, but Naruto backed up. Sasuke broke into a run, and Naruto turned to run away. It wasn't the best thing to do, but it was Sasuke's only choice. He had to incapacitate Naruto until Inoichi could come and take Naruto to the hospital. He was having a complete mental breakdown.

Sasuke caught up to Naruto before he reached the main road, and he pulled him into a hug, Naruto's back flush against Sasuke's front. Naruto tried to break free, but Sasuke held on with his life. Naruto sobbed, and pleaded. "Please don't rape me!" he begged. He cried and tried to shake Sasuke off, but Sasuke wouldn't let go. He couldn't. Naruto sobbed and stopped shouting. His struggling slowed down and then ceased, and then he stopped sobbing. Naruto was limp in his arms.

Sasuke laid the passed out boy on the ground in front of him and fished out his cell phone, dialing Inoichi's number.

"Yes, this is Sasuke," the Uchiha spoke into the receiver. "You need to come to my house now. It's Naruto. He's…he's back."

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	7. Total Eclipse of the Mind

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Sasuke, or Sakura, or Ino, or Shikamaru, or…well, you get the picture.**

**This story was edited on 9/29/12. This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Seven: Total Eclipse of the Mind

Sasuke paced back and forth in the hallway, much as he had those months ago when Naruto had been raped. It was so weird what had happened; Sasuke couldn't even wrap his mind around it. Somehow, Naruto had come back to them, but he had thought Sasuke was Kyuubi. At least that's what Sasuke had gathered from the incident.

Ino and Inoichi were sitting next to each other outside the door, and Jiraya and Tsunade were sitting further away. Sasuke hadn't told them anything except that Naruto had been freaking out, and it sounded like he knew he was a guy. Hopefully, when Naruto woke up, he would be 100% back to normal.

So why did Sasuke feel so anxious?

When the doctor finally told them he was awake, Tsunade was the first one up and through the door, despite being the furthest from it. Jiraya quickly followed, then Inoichi, and finally Ino. Sasuke briefly wondered if he belonged here, but in the end, decided that he had to know what was going on.

Naruto's reaction upon his entrance was immediately visible. He was scared, and everyone in the room knew it. Tsunade gave Sasuke a wary look, obviously silently questioning why Naruto reacted so strangely. Almost instantaneously, Naruto shouted out.

"What is he doing here?!" he screamed. He shuffled back on the bed, pressing himself against the back. Sasuke saw his blood pressure monitors jump, and Naruto had the strange look of prey caught in a predator's trap. "Someone make him leave!"

Jiraya was the first to react. "Sasuke," he said sharply, and Sasuke got the message. No matter what was going on, if Sasuke was going to invoke this sort of reaction in him, he needed to be out of sight. He left the room quickly, but decided to just wait outside for someone else to exit and explain the situation to him.

He didn't have to wait too long. After about ten minutes or so, Jiraya exited the room to join him. Sasuke didn't really like the man much; from what he'd seen in class, Jiraya was a first class pervert with a personality about as deep as a kiddie pool. He knew that Jiraya was Naruto's godfather, but wondered how they knew each other. He never asked; he figured it was similar to how Kakashi was Sasuke's guardian growing up.

"He's worse," was Jiraya's first statement after he sat down next to Sasuke. He didn't have to wait for the health teacher to continue. "He seems to think that you," he paused for a moment, as if for emphasis, "are Kyuubi." It was kind of sad that Sasuke wasn't quite surprised. Jiraya seemed to pick up on it quickly. "Nothing to say?" he asked.

"At my house, Naruto accused me of cheating on him," Sasuke admitted. He spoke softly and slowly. "He was wondering why we never had sex. Of course, I couldn't tell him the truth, so he walked out. When I went to stop him, he started yelling at me, cursing me over and over again. He had a bit of a breakdown, and started accusing me of raping him. He made it quite clear that he thought I was his father."

"Kyuubi was not his father," Jiraya said in a dark tone of voice. Sasuke could understand. Kyuubi did nothing but abuse Naruto from an early age, he had learned in recent months. The rape was the most severe incident, but there were many smaller ones. Inoichi was the only one who really acted like Naruto's father.

"Of course," Sasuke replied. He was about as uncomfortable talking about Kyuubi as Jiraya, he saw.

"My sister thinks you're a bad egg, Sasuke," Jiraya said, turning to face the raven. It wasn't like Sasuke didn't know how his principal thought of him. "The thinks you're the whole reason that Naruto's in this situation." Sasuke lowered his eyes. It _was_ his fault, in great part. The only person who is about as blame-worthy as he is would be Kyuubi himself. "I don't agree," the pervert said, shocking Sasuke. He looked up.

"When Naruto needed you, you dropped everything to help him," Jiraya observed. "He was nothing more than a classmate with whom you'd associated for a few days. Most people your age would probably have jumped ship as soon as they saw all the drama in this dysfunctional family. But not you. You stuck by Naruto, and resolved to do anything you could to help him."

"I was partially responsible for this," Sasuke said modestly. "It was the absolute least I could do."

"That's not true, and we both know it," Jiraya said. "You really did help him throughout this tragedy. What was he to you?" He looked at Sasuke for an answer, but the Uchiha just shrugged. "Nothing. Exactly. He was nothing to you, but you helped him tremendously. You might blame yourself, but you've done more to help him than you've done to help him."

"I don't know if I'd go that far," Sasuke objected.

"He _was_ nothing to you," Jiraya continued, ignoring Sasuke's response. "But what is he to you now?" This time, he didn't answer the question for Sasuke. He waited patiently for Sasuke to answer.

But what _was_ Naruto to Sasuke. He obviously was more than just a classmate now. They weren't really boyfriends, and they weren't exactly friends. But, Sasuke realized, Jiraya wasn't just asking about what he and Naruto were; he was asking about what Sasuke felt for the blond? Was it platonic? Sasuke just had to think of that first kiss with Naruto on the roof of the school, before the rape, to know that it was more than platonic.

But was it just a crush? Sasuke never really had crushes, he felt attraction. But there was a difference in the way he felt towards Naruto than the way he felt about, say, Deidara. Deidara was a gorgeous body and a sometimes-bearable personality. But Naruto was so much more. When he pictured himself with Deidara, he usually pictured them naked, fucking like rabbits all over the place. He and Deidara were always casual fucks in his fantasies. But Naruto…just the thought of having a casual sexual relationship with him was all wrong!

So he had feelings for him, Sasuke had settled that much for himself. How far did those feelings go? Sasuke didn't know. If Naruto walked out of that hospital room without any mental problems, not see Kyuubi when he looked at Sasuke or anything, would Sasuke take the initiative to pursue a romantic relationship? He was already under the belief that Naruto was gay, even before he thought he was a girl. Would Sasuke pursue him?

Yeah, Sasuke thought, as he began to picture himself with Naruto. Not fucking, necessarily, although that would definitely be a part of any relationship they pursued. But there was more. There was gentle kissing, swapping Christmas presents, having dinner on St. Valentine's Day. Sasuke almost shuddered. He had never had any _romantic_ thoughts about anyone before. What was happening to him?

"He's…" Sasuke trailed off, looking for the word. "Precious," he settled on. "Special," he added after a moment's consideration. Sasuke wondered what he was to Naruto. Was he the guy who blackmailed him? Was he the guy who allowed Naruto to go down on him repeatedly when he was not in his right mind? Somehow, Sasuke didn't think it was possible that Naruto could have a very favorable opinion about him.

"I figured," Jiraya said with a reassuring smile. "I have a feeling that no matter what happens today, you'll keep doing whatever you can to help Naruto. I just hope when he's all better, he realizes how much you sacrificed for him." Sasuke decided not to respond with another "it's the least I could do" line.

Tsunade was the first person out of the hospital room, followed quickly by Ino. Inoichi and Naruto's doctor remained inside the room for another few minutes, while the four people outside were silent. Sasuke could feel Tsunade's intense gaze on him, and he was somewhat grateful. He was glad someone was deciding to place the blame on Sasuke. He didn't deserve to be treated like a martyr, as Jiraya described him. At least one person would hold him responsible for his actions.

When Inoichi finally left, he was followed quickly by the doctor, who shut the door behind him. Sasuke sat up straighter before asking the doctor "how is he?"

"Physically, he's fine," the doctor said. "He has a bruise on his shoulder from something, but it's not too bad." Sasuke remembered pushing Naruto off the bed mid-blow job, and was grateful he wouldn't have to explain _how_ Naruto got the bruise. "Mentally, however, is another story."

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked. Ino avoided his gaze, and Tsunade's eyes left him. Jiraya was the only person there who didn't know the full story, apparently. "Jiraya said something about him thinking I'm Kyuubi."

The doctor looked to Inoichi, as if for confirmation that it was okay to talk about it. Inoichi nodded, and the doctor began his explanation. "Naruto suffers from Dissociative Reality Disorder," he began. "It's kind of like an umbrella disorder that includes various conditions, including what we call Dissociative Gender Disorder."

"Naruto had Dissociative Gender Disorder before," Inoichi explained. "That was why he believed he was a girl, and it was a response to a traumatic situation – the rape, in his case." He paused. "While it seems that that specific condition has been remedied – permanently, hopefully – the overall Dissociative Reality Disorder has changed. The doctor can explain it better than me." Jiraya and Sasuke turned to the doctor expectantly.

"Well, Inoichi is right, in a sense," he admitted. "Naruto no longer believes he's a girl, and I don't see any indication that that may come back. However, he is not in the clear. He now associates Sasuke with his rape, for some reason."

"He had a breakdown at my house," Sasuke admitted. "He started crying after I wouldn't explain why we couldn't sleep together; when he came to, he freaked out at me like I was Kyuubi."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Tsunade asked from the other side of the hall. Nobody answered her. Instead, the doctor explained further.

"You were probably just there at the wrong time," the doctor admitted. "We can't be completely sure what caused Naruto to rediscover his gender, but it seems that you being there at that moment made him associate you with his rape. He has a complete recollection of the rape and all subsequent events, including the fact that he thought he was a girl, but he doesn't know you, Sasuke."

"What do you mean?" Jiraya asked, giving voice to Sasuke's own thoughts. "Naruto remembers thinking he's a girl, but he doesn't remember all the time he spent with Sasuke during that time?"

"Not exactly," the doctor explained. "He remembers Sasuke, and even asked about him during our conversation. But when he saw you, Sasuke, in the flesh, his mind replaced you with the image of Kyuubi, a byproduct of your presence when he recalled the rape."

When he finished his explanation, no one offered any more questions. They all sat in silence, one unasked question between them all: What happened now? The doctor excused himself to deal with another patient, after telling Inoichi he would return for more tests later.

Inoichi took a seat next to Ino, across from Sasuke and Jiraya. They faced each other, the hallway seeming to become alive with noise as the five were all quiet. Ino looked at Sasuke with what he could only describe as pity. Tsunade wasn't as obviously spiteful towards Sasuke as she had been before, but she wasn't comforting either. That suited Sasuke just fine. It was Inoichi who disturbed him; Inoichi was looking through Sasuke, as if he didn't even exist.

"I assume that this means that Sasuke and Naruto can have no contact for the near future," Jiraya said, breaking the tense silence. Sasuke hadn't even thought of that, but now that he did, it hurt. How could he go from near-constant contact with him to not even seeing him? How would that even work? They had friends in common, now. They went to the same school! They had most of their classes together. Wouldn't Naruto find it weird that his friends ate lunch with his rapist father? That he shared classes with him?

No, that wouldn't happen. The hospital wouldn't be allowed to release Naruto in such a state. If the brief visit in the hospital room and the incident in his driveway was anything to go by, Naruto would be mentally unable to participate in society if Sasuke was around. As long as Naruto was in the same school as Sasuke and shared friends with him, Naruto wouldn't be allowed out.

"He'll have to be institutionalized, won't he?" he realized out loud, as if in response to Jiraya's question. Ino looked to her father, who himself looked down, pondering the question. It was Tsunade who reacted most, slamming her hand down on the small coffee table in front of her before standing up and storming away silently. As she walked down the hallway, Jiraya stood up.

"I'll handle her," Jiraya said quietly, following after his sister.

"Even if you two could arrange to stay away from each other socially, there's no way to separate you two academically," Inoichi admitted. He sighed, and leaned back, placing his head on the wall behind him. "I honestly don't know," he said quietly. "I don't know what to do."

When the doctor returned later, he came with a psychologist by the name of Dr. Kishimoto. The two entered Naruto's hospital room, and didn't leave for another hour or so. The waiting was the worst part, for Sasuke. He didn't belong here; he knew that. But he needed to know how this ended up. Inoichi didn't ask him to leave, and Ino wasn't uncomfortable with his presence either, so he stayed. If Jiraya had returned with Tsunade, he probably would have left just to avoid her, but it seemed that they went home.

Finally, Naruto's doctor and the psychiatrist exited the room, closing the door gently behind them. Dr. Kishimoto had a clipboard with a few pages of notes on it, and he made his way to Inoichi. He and Ino both stood up to talk to the doctor, and Sasuke stood up to leave. "Where are you going?" Inoichi asked.

"Home," Sasuke said. "I'm sure you don't need me intruding on whatever discussion you're going to have." Why did he stay anyway? He could just text Ino later and ask her what was going on. He should have left long ago. He began to walk away, but Inoichi's voice stopped him.

"Sasuke, I think you should be a part of this," he called out. Sasuke stopped walking away, but didn't turn around. "This affects you just as much as it does Naruto." That was true, Sasuke had to admit. But he would still feel awkward. He turned around to look at Ino and Inoichi, and saw that they expected him to be there, to help them discuss Naruto's treatment. They were going to include him in this, if Sasuke wanted to be included.

"Let's go to my office," Naruto's regular doctor said, and everyone agreed. His office was in the same direction in which Sasuke was heading, so he waited for them to catch up and then walked alongside Ino, behind Inoichi and the two doctors. He was looking down at the floor as he walked, pondering what sort of treatment Naruto was going to get.

He wasn't crazy, if his doctor was to be believed. He wouldn't fit in an asylum with _actual_ nutjobs. But at the same time, if the mere sight of Sasuke provoked such reactions, he probably wasn't going to be released soon. He bit his bottom lip in concern. Ino seemed to have noticed, so she took his hand in hers as a comforting gesture. Sasuke appreciated it, even if it didn't make him feel much better.

Naruto's general doctor sat down behind his desk, the psychiatrist pulling up a chair next to him. Inoichi took the only other chair in the room, but Ino was able to produce two chairs from the waiting area outside for herself and Sasuke. They pulled their chairs up beside Inoichi.

"What do you suggest?" Inoichi asked the two professionals.

"I would normally suggest institution in a case of Dissociative Reality Disorder," Dr. Kishimoto admitted. "But this is a unique case. While most cases involve reactions to common stimuli, this case responds to one specific stimuli. If we took his reactor – Sasuke, in this case – out of the equation, he would be a fully-functional member of society, unlike someone who, say, has a breakdown any time they see an animal, or any time they hear a specific word.

"Because of this, Naruto can't really benefit much from an institutional setting," he continued. "Not only is Naruto rational in all aspects unrelated to Sasuke, but as a reactor, Sasuke is relatively easily avoidable. In an institutional setting, Naruto would be out of place, and it would likely harm him more than help him to remove him from a supportive environment.

"Furthermore, the only known treatment is time," he admitted. "Not unlike other mental disorders such as amnesia, therapy and a controlled environment won't help him at all. He would basically just be babysat should he be institutionalized. On the other hand, unless there is a way to remove Sasuke from his life, it isn't recommended that he should be released to the general public." He looked at Sasuke. "You two attend the same school, correct?" Sasuke nodded, and the doctor turned to Inoichi. "Is there any way to enroll him in a private school for the time being? Social interaction would be eliminated if you try, but the academic interaction can only be stopped if one person drops out or changes schools."

"I can't afford private school tuition, especially not Hebi Academy's tuition," Inoichi admitted. Hebi Academy was the only private school in the area, and it was as expensive as it was exclusive. Unless someone was stinking rich, like Sasuke or the Hyugas, they wouldn't be able to get in. "Besides, no school is going to want to accept someone who needed to transfer due to mental issues."

"What about home schooling or dropping out?" Naruto's regular doctor asked. Inoichi just shook his head.

"I have a job, I can't stay home to homeschool Naruto," he said. "And he can't just drop out. He needs his education. Besides, it would raise too many questions." Both doctors looked at each other, and Inoichi looked down at his lap. If Naruto and Sasuke couldn't be separated by transferring schools, then it looked like there was only one other option.

"Then I'm afraid we have no choice but to institutionalize him," Dr. Kishimoto said solemnly. Inoichi nodded in acceptance. Ino looked nearly on the verge of tears. _'This isn't right,'_ Sasuke told himself. _'There has to be something else that can be done.'_

He spoke without thinking. "I can transfer to Hebi Academy," he said. Later, he'd attribute the outburst to temporary insanity – maybe _he_ needed the nuthouse more than Naruto – but for now, he just went with it. Everyone with him turned to look at him with varying mixtures of shock, relief, and gratitude. Everyone except Inoichi, that is.

"No," he said with an air of finality. "Absolutely not. You've shouldered enough of the blame to this, and made up for any wrongdoing that you might have done. You won't punish yourself further by uprooting your life and paying those insane fees to attend. I won't let you. There isn't even a guarantee you'd be able to get in."

"Neji's family's company is a big donor to Hebi," Sasuke said adamantly. "And Gaara's grandmother is a teacher there. I could probably get Neji's uncle to twist the Headmaster's arms, and have Gaara's grandmother put a good word in. As for the money, it's not a problem. I have more money than I know what to do with." Inoichi was still adamant. "It's a lot easier for me to do this than for you to put Naruto is the loony bin!" he argued. "This way, nobody's life gets ruined because Naruto's asshole father decided to inflict endless emotional trauma on him."

"Inoichi is right, Sasuke," Dr. Kishimoto said. "This isn't your problem to fix. You don't have to do this." But he did. He was still at least partially responsible for this disaster. And it wasn't like transferring schools would be a bad thing, necessarily. Besides, no one told Uchiha Sasuke 'no.'

"I'm going to transfer whether you like it or not," he said stubbornly. He wouldn't let Inoichi's pride get in the way of Naruto's recovery. "Give me until the end of spring break to get myself into Hebi, and then Naruto will have no problem attending school. You'll just have to keep him home for the next week until vacation starts." Inoichi looked like he was about to argue, so Sasuke continued.

"I'm transferring to Hebi," he said, putting his foot down. "That isn't your choice. So you now have the option to send Naruto to Konoha High School – the place he's been going to for years with the friends he's had for just as long – or an institution full of crazy people who might do God-knows-what to him." Inoichi closed his mouth, and Sasuke knew he'd won. Inoichi would accept now; there was no way to rationally reject the offer/command. Before Inoichi could think up a reason to reject it, Sasuke stood up and pushed his chair back. "If you'll excuse me, I have some favors to ask a few friends."

No one could say that Uchiha Sasuke didn't have a flair for dramatics, he thought to himself, as he walked out. Of course, the reality of what he'd just done hadn't quite hit him yet, but he was sure it would later, when he had time to think. He'd no longer be attending Konoha High School. He'd no longer be in school with Gaara and Sakura, or with Neji, Tenten, and Hinata. He'd no longer attend school with Naruto.

Before he was too far away, he heard hurried footsteps following him, and turned around to see Ino, just as she leapt and gave him a bone-crushing hug. She pressed her face to his collar, and Sasuke could feel some tears. "Thank you so much," she cried, almost shaking. "You have no idea what you've done for Naruto and our family."

It was later, when he was speaking to Gaara, that he realized something incredible: he'd just given up Gaara, Sakura, and Neji – his three best friends in the world – for Naruto. And while he was nervous and anxious about what the future held, he was surprised to realize that he didn't regret his decision at all.

* * *

That was two weeks ago. Now, Sasuke stood in front of the grand building that belonged to Hebi Academy, much of which was probably paid for by the Hyugas. The building was four floors high, and had grand windows, floor to ceiling. They were tinted so that Sasuke couldn't see in from where he was standing, but he knew from his meeting with the Headmaster of the school three days prior that they were normal windows when viewed from the inside.

The lobby – yes, the school had a _lobby_, complete with receptionist that directed visitors to the main office, the health center, or the executive offices – was busy, with students all talking with their individual cliques. They wore the same uniform that Sasuke wore – navy blue sweater vests over white blue button-down shirts, matching blue skirts for girls and blue pants for the guys – and all had the same clean, rich, powerful look that Sasuke rarely found at Konoha High.

As soon as he entered the hallway, many eyes turned to him, and he ignored them. Having a fan club helped him get used to ignoring stares. The lobby hushed down, and then small whispering began. It was annoying, mostly because Sasuke knew that he was the subject of the whispering. He wondered what rumors would be started about the new kid, and was briefly angry at himself for going through with this.

He recalled the moment when he told people he was transferring. Sasuke was surprised by how many people were upset he was leaving. Outside of his group of friends, Ino, Lee, Choji, and Sai seemed to be sad to see him leave. Even Kiba, after Ino told him the circumstances surrounding Sasuke's transfer, seemed to have a begrudging respect instead of the usual hostility.

Sasuke wasn't really good at making friends, and he wondered when the others started to consider him as a friend. Was it when Naruto first began thinking he was a girl, or was it later? Did it only happen when they realized how far he went to help Naruto? All of their close friends knew the truth about Sasuke's transfer, and they all had enough respect for his decision to not spread the gossip around.

They decided to throw Sasuke a party, which he naturally refused to attend. Well, he refused to attend until Gaara threatened to pour some leftover lube from that brown bag Itachi had used to embarrass Sasuke months ago all over his new school uniform. And Sasuke couldn't exactly show up the next day smelling of KY His & Her Pleasure, so he acquiesced to his demands.

And then he did it anyway, after the party. His exact words were "this is for leaving Konoha." Gotta love Gaara, right? Sasuke was up half the night scrubbing the smell and stain out of the shirt, and it wasn't noticeable at all underneath the sweater vest.

He approached the receptionist, ignoring all the stares and whispers. "Where is room B-102?" he asked him. He was about to answer when two girls who were nearby interrupted.

"We'll show you where it is," said the taller of the two. She was about as tall as Sasuke, which was somewhat unnerving. She had shoulder-length blond hair, much like Naruto's, and had striking purple eyes. She would have been attractive had Sasuke enjoyed girls, as he knew they hoped he would. Her companion was shorter, with black hair and blue eyes. She was definitely prettier, even though the other one would be considered hotter. It reminded Sasuke of the way that Sakura and Hinata looked when they hung out together.

"I'm good, thanks," he wanted to say. But of course, it would be more than rude, it would be weird. Why would he ignore their offer and ask the receptionist anyway? So he sighed and nodded, following them to the classroom. As they walked through the hallway, Sasuke observed how much more expensive everything was here compared to Konoha High. The floors were clean tile, and the doors were carved oak. The janitorial staff was also obviously top-notch.

As they walked, the two girls explained how the academy worked; it was different from a normal school. Instead of students traveling around the building to different teachers, students were kept in the same room, and the teachers moved around every period in the morning. Everyone had one lunch hour that could be spent on or off campus. At the end of the day, they would travel to special rooms, like science labs or the gymnasium, for classes that couldn't be held in a lecture hall. Some of the other classes had the special classes in science labs or gymnasiums in the morning and spent the afternoon in regular classes, but Sasuke was fine having those classes earlier in the day.

There were twenty students each class, although the class Sasuke was in had twenty-two after the addition of himself and another transfer student from Konoha High. The two girls, Kazuki and Hachini, were in one of the other classes, and Sasuke was grateful. Less chance that they would bother him. He'd barely spoken a word to them since they introduced themselves, yet there hadn't been one moment of silence during his impromptu tour.

The first floor held the two gymnasiums, the auditorium, the cafeterias, and the science labs. The second two floors held multiple lecture hall-style classrooms. The top floor of the building held "Student Services" – the infirmary, guidance office, main office, attendance office, and executive offices, where the Headmaster and board members met.

Sasuke was finally brought to room B-102, and after rejecting the girl's offer of "hanging out sometime," he entered the room. There were some students there talking, and again, the chatter died upon his entrance. He rolled his eyes and walked towards the back to get a seat. As he neared the back, however, a kid with grayish-blue hair and sharp teeth that somewhat reminded Sasuke of Itachi's friend Kisame, stopped him.

"You're Uchiha, right?" the kid asked. Sasuke rolled his eyes and made to move past him, but he put his foot out to block the way to the back. "I wouldn't sit there, newbie," he said. "That's Jugo's seat. You don't want to mess with Jugo."

"Jugo can go fuck himself for all I care," Sasuke said. Who the hell did he think he was, subtly threatening him? He sat down where he sat down, and if this Jugo character didn't like it, it wasn't Sasuke's problem.

"Fine," the kid said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Don't say I didn't warn you." Sasuke was about to assert that he didn't need to be warned when a high-pitched squeal sounded in the front of the room. When Sasuke saw who it was, he shuddered.

"SASUKEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" yelled the redhead with similarly-colored eyes, purple eyeglasses, and a very sick obsession. He heard himself growl at the sight of the girl, and he instinctively looked around for a closet, a trash bin, ANYWHERE to hide. He couldn't find anyplace though, before she made her way up to the back of the lecture hall, where he was sitting. Everyone's attention was on this girl, who was obviously the other new transfer from Konoha High.

"What are you doing here, Kiera?" Sasuke asked, somewhat amazed that even before he'd introduced himself here, he had a fan girl stalker.

"You're so funny Sasuke!" she said, pushing her big, thick glasses on her nose. "How many times do I have to tell you that my name's Karin?" Like Sasuke really cared what her name was. Couldn't she take a hint? If he hadn't even bothered to know her name, she obviously wasn't significant enough. "I prayed and prayed so much, Sasuke, you don't even know. My parents didn't want us to be together. They said that I was too 'obsessed' with you," she said, using air quotes. "They made me transfer schools, but I told them – I totally told them – that they couldn't separate true love. So I prayed and prayed, and when I got here, I found out that _you_ were coming here too? Don't you see, Sasu? It's a sign!"

"_Don't_," Sasuke growled distinctly, "call me Sasu." Karin didn't seem to hear him.

"And now that you don't have your boytoy here, we can finally be together," she said with a smile. "Don't worry, I won't tell our kids about that gay phase you had." Sasuke rolled his eyes, not even acknowledging her delusions, and continued towards the back, sitting down in Jugo's seat. Ever the oblivious one, Karin decided to sit right next to him. "I can't believe we're in the same class, Sasu," she gushed. "It's like destiny or something!"

Sasuke was about to burst out in an angry explosion when he noticed the kid from before with the bluish hair had stood up and walked over to Sasuke and Karin. He gave Sasuke a toothy grin before looking to Karin.

"Excuse me, but all students have to sign their name in the attendance sheet on the desk," he said, nodding his head towards the teacher's desk at the front of the room. Sasuke was about to get up and thank the guy for giving him an excuse to leave her, when he continued. "Sasuke already signed in when he first came in," he told Karin. Sasuke gave him a confused look, but the kid just ignored it.

"Fine," she huffed, standing up and walking over towards the front of the desk. She was quick to run up there so she could reclaim her seat, presumptively. Sasuke reflected that picking the back corner where she could…well…corner him…was a pretty bad idea.

Before she could get back, though, the boy hopped into her seat, throwing her backpack down to the aisle below them. He leaned over to Sasuke and flashed him a smile. "My name's Suigetsu, by the way," he said, offering a hand for the Uchiha to shake. Hozuki Suigetsu."

"Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke replied, shaking his hand with a smirk. He suddenly had a newfound appreciation for the guy. "But you already know that."

"Another ego," Suigetsu muttered. "This school has enough of those already."

"Hey!" Karin yelled from the ground when she realized that Suigetsu had taken her seat. She ran back up the stairs to them, an angry expression on her face. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Helping out a friend," Suigetsu said with his cocky smirk still in place. "He had a pest that needed exterminating." Karin's face was priceless, but Sasuke was stuck on a different part of that statement. _'A friend,'_ he wondered. _'How did I make a friend already?'_ He usually wasn't too good at it.

"That's so funny, you little asswipe," Karin said sarcastically. "Joke's over; get out of my seat!"

"Jeez, calm down," he said, his smirk fading as he came to the realization that Karin was a different sort of nutjob than the usual ones.

"I will not calm down until you get away from my boyfriend!" she insisted.

"I'm no one's boyfriend," Sasuke cut in. "I don't do relationships, especially not with crazy bitches."

"That's funny," she said, obviously enraged by Sasuke's comment. "I seem to remember one _crazy bitch_ who got in your pants. What was _her_ name again? _Naruto_?" Sasuke wasn't sure whether it was the subtle dig at Naruto's mental state or at the fact that Naruto spent the last few months dressing like a girl, but something in her sentence made him see red. How dare she speak about Naruto like that!

"Leave him out of this," Sasuke growled dangerously. Suigetsu had taken the cue to shut the fuck up. There was shit going on that he obviously didn't understand, and he wouldn't be able to just jump in the middle of this.

"He tried to take you from me, but fate stepped in," she said. "Don't you see, Sasuke? We're meant to be together! Now tell this asshole to stop hogging you," she said, stomping her foot while looking towards Suigetsu impatiently.

"I'll stop hogging Sasuke when you stop hogging all the ugly!" Suigetsu retorted. It wasn't exactly a witty comeback, but the reaction Karin gave was too awesome to ignore. So Sasuke joined it.

"And the bitchy," he added.

"You might not know how you feel about me yet, Sasuke, but I know how you feel deep down inside," Karin said, flipping her hair. "When you're ready to approach a relationship with me in a mature, adult manner, I will be waiting for you." With a dramatic turn on her heels, she walked away from them.

"Thanks for that," Sasuke told Suigetsu after she was gone. He was genuinely grateful to have someone to watch his back against the fangirls. At least there was only one here. For now.

"It's no problem," Suigetsu said, his smirk returning. "A pretty boy like you needs a bodyguard." Sasuke saw a twinkle in his eye that he wasn't quite sure what to make of. Was he…teasing Sasuke? Spending most of his time with Gaara or Neji, Sasuke wasn't too used to teasing.

"Are you offering?" he decided to ask back, a teasing tone in his own voice.

"Well, I _did_ say we were friends," Suigetsu pointed out. He turned to the front of the classroom, where a tall, muscular guy had just walked in. "Uh oh," he said, eyeing the front of the room.

"What?" Sasuke asked, following Suigetsu's gaze. "Who's that?"

"Jugo," Suigetsu said, his voice barely above a whisper, as Jugo entered the room. He was large, and quite obviously intimidating. He lumbered up the stair, trepidation rising with every step within Sasuke. He walked up to Sasuke's desk, and Sasuke belatedly remembered Suigetsu's first warning to him.

"You're sitting in my seat," Jugo said, in a calm manner that seemed incongruent with what Suigetsu had made him sound like before. "Can you please move?"

"This is my seat now," Sasuke said assertively. If Jugo was as big a pushover as he sounded, there was no need for Suigetsu to disturb himself. "You can sit somewhere else." Suigetsu looked at me as if I was having tea with the Queen and I just picked my nose.

"What did you say?" Jugo asked slowly, his voice more menacing, and his eye twitching. Sasuke could _feel_ his personality change instantaneously.

Sasuke almost stuttered, but he controlled himself. "I said," he began, trying to speak slowly and lowly to intimidate Jugo. "Sit. Somewhere. Else." He and Jugo looked at each other tensely for a moment, and Sasuke could almost picture Suigetsu wetting himself in fear at that moment. But he didn't break eye contact with Jugo, nor Jugo with him. In the end, Jugo leaned back, and chuckled heartily.

"Heh," he said. "Someone willing to stand up for himself in a nest of crybabies, cowards, and money-throwers." He looked at Sasuke like he was an anomaly. "I think I like you." He moved over to sit next to Suigetsu, who was probably having a mini-heart attack right now, as the teacher walked in.

English was just as dull as it was in Konoha, only with one difference: no Naruto.

But there was a bright side. Suigetsu seemed to be a pretty funny guy. He made sly comments about the teacher quite often, answered some questions Sasuke had about the school, and gave Sasuke some advice. "You don't want to fall asleep in Mr. Titekubo's class; he'll hit you with the yardstick, even if you sit in the back. Mr. Echiiroda is going to make your life miserable, but don't do it personally. He does it every time we get a new kid. He'll probably be worse on Karin. And _don't_ chew gum in Mrs. Chiyo's class, under _any_ circumstances." Sasuke didn't mention that he knew Granny Chiyo personally.

Jugo was an okay guy too. Suigetsu was scared shitless of him, which made him all that much funnier. Whenever Suigetsu would make a one-liner, Jugo would pipe in with his two sense, either taking Suigetsu's sarcasm literally, or giving a fear-inducing answer. Either way, Suigetsu was unnerved, which was almost as funny as Suigetsu's one-liners were.

After a litany of teachers showing up, teaching, and leaving, it was finally time for lunch. By then, Sasuke's ass had pretty much fallen asleep. "You get used to it," Suigetsu told him.

Sasuke wasn't surprised that the lunch was much more appetizing than in Konoha High. He got his food and sat with Suigetsu and Jugo, the former being nervous to sit with the latter.

"So Jugo, what do you like to do?" Sasuke asked as he dug into his chicken parmesan. It wasn't the shitty stuff either, it was as if the cafeteria was a four-star restaurant.

"I mostly write," Jugo said in a voice much softer than the one he had used to threaten Sasuke hours before. "I aspire to become a fiction writer, but realistically, I'm hoping to be a journalist."

"A writer?" Suigetsu said with almost a scoff. "You sure you don't want to be a bar bouncer? An MMA fighter?"

"Suigetsu," Sasuke scolded, giving him a look. He raised his hands in mock surrender.

"I'm just saying –" Suigetsu began, but was interrupted when Sasuke heard a loud, high-pitched voice. Again.

"Sasuke!"

"Hide me," Sasuke begged the two other men at the table. But it was futile. Karin shoved Suigetsu off of the seat next to Sasuke, and sat down in the chair.

"I missed you," she said, reaching out to stroke his face. Sasuke expertly dodged the attempt, which didn't seem to please Karin much.

"I didn't miss you," Sasuke said, wondering what deity he pissed off to have this plague inflicted upon him.

"Of course you don't,"" Karin said matter-of-factly. "We both know that I'm always in your heart wherever you go. You don't need to miss me." Sasuke briefly wondered if he'd need to get another fake boyfriend to get her to leave him alone.

"I was sitting there, bitch," Suigetsu said, rubbing his head where it hit the floor. He went to pull the chair, but Karin held onto the table.

"This is payback for stealing my seat earlier, shark boy," Karin said.

"Rihanna called," Suigetsu replied. "She wants her hideous, unnatural hair back."

"Rihanna called, she wants her hideous, unnatural hair back," Karin mocked in a childish voice. "Puh-leese. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were jealous of me and Sasuke."

"There is no 'you and Sasuke,'" the Uchiha objected, but she didn't seem to pay much attention.

"I'm talking honey, don't interrupt," she said dismissively, putting a hand up between them and refocusing on the light haired boy.

"I don't do girlfriends," Sasuke said. "Let me make this perfectly clear: unless you have a penis, you will _never_ be attractive to me. We will never date. You will never be my girlfriend, and I will _never_ be your boyfriend. If you don't have a Y-chromosome, _leave me alone_." At the very least, it seemed to catch her attention.

"Sasuke," she cooed. "I know that that idiot Naruto corrupted you, but it's okay. You don't have to be gay anymore."

"If anyone corrupted someone, then _I _corrupted _him_, not the other way around," Sasuke asserted. "_I _was the one who asked _him_ out," Sasuke said, telling a somewhat truth.

"Sasuke, you don't have to stand up for –" She was interrupted by Suigetsu, who, while she was talking, walked behind her and yanked her off by her hair before reclaiming his seat with a smug smirk on his face. Sasuke had a feeling it was a pretty usual fixture, from what he'd seen so far.

"You little shit!" she yelled at Suigetsu. "I was sitting there and talking to my boyfriend!" Her loudness had caught the attention of the entire room. Great, just what he needed – to make a scene on his first day.

"I'm not your boyfriend!" Sasuke growled out, trying to keep his voice low.

"Leave him alone, you fag!" she yelled at Suigetsu.

"Only if you do first, bitch!" he yelled back.

"You're just a no good son of a bitch."

"And you're just some ditz who looks like she just walked out of a Retard's Anonymous meeting!"

"Says the kid with fucking _shark fangs_. You can't even take care of your teeth!"

"Sharks don't have fangs, and I filed these down," he said, giving them a look of his teeth. "Besides, I don't need hygiene tips from someone who smells like month-old cow dung!"

"At least _I_ have a boyfriend!"

"At least _I_ have sanity!"

The level of the yelling continued to grow, gaining more and more attention from the other tables. Sasuke was so mortified that he'd just stuck his head down onto the table, not like either of the two fighters paid any mind. Finally, a loud noise was heard that made Sasuke look up in shock, made Karin and Suigetsu stop talking, and made the entire cafeteria fall silent. Karin looked at Jugo in horror.

"Did you just _fart_?!" she exclaimed in disgust. Jugo's face slowly grew redder, and some whispering began. Then, Sasuke could hear some laughter, and finally, the cafeteria's noise level returned to pre-Suigetsu-and-Karin conditions.

"Phew, Jugo!" Suigetsu said, waving the air in front of his face. "I can smell that burrito from all the way over here!" He had a grin on his face that made it obvious that he was just teasing.

"That's disgusting!" she yelled, storming away.

"I never thought I'd be so thankful for flatulence," Sasuke said with a sigh. "What happened to 'When you're ready to approach a relationship with me in a mature, adult manner, I will be waiting for you'?" Sasuke wondered.

"She got tired of waiting," Jugo suggested with a shrug. It was as good an answer as any. Sasuke's brow furrowed as he sniffed the air a few times.

"I don't smell anything," he said, confused.

"No, but _she_ was holding her nose," Suigetsu said with a shrug. "It got her away, didn't it?" Sasuke couldn't argue with that logic.

After lunch was finished, they had gym, which was pretty uneventful, and a physics class. Business came afterwards, and Sasuke was somewhat intrigued. Most people who attended the school had a family business, and many people were being groomed for leadership in businesses. The last class of the day was philosophy, which was held in what Sasuke would consider a normal high school classroom. It was a shorter class than the rest, and Sasuke was grateful. He was too tired to have an in-depth lecture about Kantian philosophies.

Instead of returning to Itachi at home, Sasuke indulged when Suigetsu offered to go back to his house. It wasn't too far from the school, and, Sasuke realized, it was pretty close to the Hyuga Mansion. When they got to his house, Sasuke appreciated its size. It had nothing on the Hyuga Mansion or Sasuke's own house, but it was still pretty huge in its own right.

Sasuke walked in after Suigetsu and was amazed at how clean it looked. And by clean, he meant _spotless_. Almost everything was white, light grey, light blue, or an off-white cream, and it was all shiny. The floor tiles were spotless, as if a maid had just polished them, and the carpeting on the stairs was immaculately clean. Sasuke wondered how he did it. There was much stainless steel and glass as well, completing the picture. In short, it looked like the inside of a palace.

"Welcome to my not-so-humble abode," Suigetsu said with a sweeping gesture. "Take your shoes off and tell me what you think."

"Not bad," Sasuke admitted with a shrug. He looked incredibly displeased with Sasuke's lack of enthusiasm, but Sasuke didn't really care much. He wondered how Suigetsu would react upon seeing _his_ house.

"Suigetsu," came a voice that was unusually familiar to Sasuke. In fact, Sasuke would have sworn – no, there was no way _he_ could be here."

"Shit," Suigetsu muttered as he turned towards the foyer's stairwell. Sasuke's eyes followed, and what he saw almost made him commit triple murder.

"Why hello, Sasuke," came Itachi's sickeningly sweet voice as he walked down the staircase with his friend Kisame. "I didn't expect _you_ to be here." Why were Kisame and Itachi in the house? Suddenly, Sasuke recalled Suigetsu's unnatural teeth, and recalled Kisame's matching set. He almost facepalmed. Kisame was Suigetsu's brother!?

"Come on," Sasuke muttered to Suigetsu, pulling the light haired boy up the other staircase. The two staircases were identical and led to the same general area, and were probably put in for the aesthetic pleasure of twin staircases. Sasuke didn't care why, though. He was grateful they were there. As long as Sasuke got away from them, he was happy.

"Be sure to use lube!" Itachi called after them with a self-satisfied smirk.

"And be gentle with my brother, will you?" Kisame asked. "It's his first time." Sasuke noticed Suigetsu glare at his brother with a blush on his face. This was like a trainwreck – you can't look away.

"I can't say I'm not a little disappointed," Itachi called out. "I thought you and Naruto were in it for the long haul." As if Sasuke needed more reminders of the blond he couldn't get out of his head. He glared at Itachi, but it didn't seem to have the desired effect.

The sound of Suigetsu closing the bedroom door was the sweetest sound Sasuke had ever heard.

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	8. Remembering Sasuke Part 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Sasuke, or Sakura, or Ino, or Shikamaru, or…well, you get the picture.**

**This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Eight: Remembering Sasuke (Part One)

It had been a few weeks since his memory returned and Naruto still felt like he was missing something. Say what you want about the blond, but he was not dumb. Sasuke had been helping him and protecting him from the ugly truth while he thought he was a girl; he put himself through, what one could only assume felt like, torture, just for Naruto's sake. Then, after all is back to normal, the raven just disappears off the face of the earth?

He'd asked Inoichi and Ino. He'd asked Sakura, Neji, and Gaara. He'd even tried to find the raven on AIM. But nothing produced results.

Naruto didn't know why Sasuke felt so important to him all of a sudden. The last time they had had a conversation before the "incident" with Kyuubi, Sasuke had kissed Naruto, and Naruto had pushed him away. They had fought, Sasuke was drunk, and there was a small amount of violence mixed in there for good effort. Why did Naruto care so much about such a bastard?

It was really because he owed the teme. Sasuke didn't need to make so many sacrifices to preserve Naruto's mental state (as fragile as it was), but he did. Even when Naruto made it difficult for the raven, he had still managed to protect the blond. Heck, he had tried to seduce Sasuke so many times (a thought that sent an immediate blush to the blond), that to resist would have been extremely difficult.

Yes, Naruto owed Sasuke very much. And it's hard to repay a debt when you can't find the person you owe.

"Are you even listening to me?" Ino asked him from across the living room, snapping the blond out of his daze.

"Sorry," Naruto said. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" she asked, plopping down on the couch next to the vulpine boy with a bag of chips in one hand and a can of soda in the other.

"Sasuke," Naruto admitted, causing Ino to roll her eyes.

"You should really just forget about him," Ino said. "He's gone, and he won't be coming back. The best thing you can do for yourself is to move on."

"I just…" Naruto said before trailing off. "I feel like I'm missing something."

"Like what?" Ino asked him, opening her soda and taking a gulp.

"I just…I feel like things don't really make sense," he admitted. "Sasuke went through so much for me, and then he just disappears."

Ino sighed and ate a chip before responding. "I really think that the only thing you can do is move on. Focus on getting yourself a girlfriend." She paused in thinking. "Or a boyfriend."

"I'm not gay!" he exclaimed, standing up. "Why does everyone think I'm gay all of a sudden?"

"Well," Ino began, "you did pretend to date Sasuke, and then you thought you were dating him. You tried to seduce him about seven different times, and you gave him head."

"Bitch," Naruto muttered. "It doesn't count! I wasn't in my right mind!"

Ino smirked and stood up. She walked over to the small bookshelf in the corner of their apartment and pulled out a photo album. Naruto stood by the sofa, his questioning gaze following her movements. Finally, she found the picture she was looking for and called Naruto over.

When he saw the photo, his cheeks immediately turned beat red. He did remember dressing in that neko costume, but he never actually thought someone would take a picture of him in it!

"Who took that picture!" he demanded. "It was Sakura, wasn't it? She's _such_ a fan girl!"

"Actually, it was me," Ino admitted. "I've always wanted blackmail material on you, just in case." Naruto, pouting, stuck his tongue out at the girl before turning away.

"It's not like you could even pull that off," Naruto said, smirking to himself. Ino could never resist a challenge.

"I'm not dumb, you know," she said to him as she put the album back. "I know you just want to see me in that neko costume."

"You are so full of yourself!" Naruto exclaimed. "You know I like Sakura-chan."

"I hope you know that you're never getting with her," Ino said. "She is such a SasuNaru fan, she'd consider it the utmost betrayal to Sasuke and to the club. Besides, she's seen all your bits and pieces before – she wasn't all that impressed."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't _my_ fault I modeled lingerie in front of you two," Naruto muttered. "If you were _really_ my friend, you wouldn't have let me do it."

"But it was funny!" Ino exclaimed. "Besides, I needed a fall back, just in case you decided to steal the neko picture."

"Ino!" Naruto yelled. "You didn't!"

"I'm not telling you where it is!" Ino said, sticking her tongue out at the blond boy.

"That's it!" Naruto yelled, stomping his foot. "I am going to have you diary published in the school paper!"

"You don't even know where it is," Ino said, smirking triumphantly.

"It's inside the seam of the pocketbook your mother gave you on your tenth birthday," Naruto said, earning a look of shock from the girl. He smiled his usual vulpine smile before racing to the girl's room.

"Naruto!" Ino yelled. "You get back here right now!" She raced through the two bedroom apartment to her room, trying to prevent the blond from stealing her diary. Unfortunately for Ino, her room had a lock, and she was now locked out. "I swear I'll publish the neko picture _and_ the lingerie picture in the paper right next to it if you don't get out!"

The door's lock clicked and Ino entered her room, glaring at the boy who was now holding her diary above his head. In those two months that Naruto thought he was a girl, he had a descent growth spurt, and was now able to keep the book away from Ino's desperate hands with ease.

Ino, getting more and more angry, decided to tackle the blond, causing both of them to fall onto her bed. She wrestled with him, managing to take the book back (and cause a few scratches while she was at it), before something horrifyingly awful happened to her.

The picture of Naruto in lingerie fell out of a page in the diary. Naruto sat up, shocked that the picture just landed on his lap so easily. Ino quickly made a grab for it, as did Naruto, and they began tugging on it. Fortunately for Naruto, the picture ripped right in half, prompting him to jump up and do a happy dance.

Ino was ready to all-out kill Naruto for taking her diary, ripping the photo, and trying to lock her out of the room, but she stopped, noticing the man in the doorway. Behind Naruto, Kiba stood, waiting for someone to notice him. The blond still had his back to the brunet, so Ino stuffed her desire for revenge to be hospitable to their guest.

"Kiba?" Ino asked, prompting the vulpine boy to look behind him. "What are you doing here?"

"The door was unlocked," Kiba said. "I wanted to speak with Naruto. But if I'm interrupting something, I could come back later."

"You're not interrupting anything!" Naruto said, before Ino could ask him to leave so she could kill her brother for his antics. "Let's just get out of here." Naruto took Kiba's hand and led him out of the apartment quickly to avoid the wrath of the blonde girl who was still glaring daggers at the spot the blond used to occupy. When he got home, he was _so_ dead.

* * *

Kiba generously brought Naruto – and by that, I mean that Naruto begged and pleaded for fifteen minutes before the brunet caved – to Ichiraku's for lunch. Kiba decided to wait to talk to Naruto until they got to the shop and were eating. After all, it was less likely for Naruto to bolt while he was eating ramen.

Naruto and Kiba eventually got to Ichiraku and ordered their meals before sitting down in a small booth in the back of the restaurant. The owner's daughter brought the two boys their bowls of hot ramen – one miso ramen for Kiba, and seven miso for Naruto.

"So what is it that you wanted to talk about?" Naruto said in between slurps of the delicious meal.

"While you were…not yourself, something happened to me," Kiba said, trying to start the conversation up.

"What do you mean?" the blond asked.

"Well," Kiba began, "I sort of realized something."

"I still don't understand," Naruto said, putting his first bowl aside. "What exactly did you realize?"

"I realized that…" Kiba said, trailing off to try and find the words. "Do you remember when Choji told us he was going to let us use his porn stash? He said it was the best stuff he'd ever seen."

"I remember," Naruto said, taking a gulp of his next bow. "Wait, did he give it to you while I thought I was a girl?"

"Yeah," Kiba said, "but that isn't what I wanted to talk about."

"Then why'd you bring it up?" Naruto asked, chuckling lightly.

"Well, it's important to my story," Kiba said. "I was looking through it, and a lot of the stuff wasn't very…well, I didn't get turned on."

"You're probably into kinkier stuff than Choji," Naruto said, finishing his second bowl with gusto. "When are you gonna let me use the porn?"

"You don't understand," Kiba said. "It's not that I didn't find anything in his porn stash hot because I'm kinky, I didn't find it hot because I'm gay!"

Naruto, who was busy using his bowl as a glass and drinking the leftover miso from the bowl, stopped in mid gulp before releasing the bowl onto the table.

"You're gay?" Naruto asked. "Well, good for you." Naruto fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat before deciding to attack his third bowl of ramen. It's not that he was upset that Kiba was gay, but he just failed to see how it affected him that much.

"Why did you wait to tell me until now?" Naruto asked. "I've been better for weeks."

"I was building up the courage," Kiba admitted. "It isn't easy, you know."

"What, did you think I was going to stop being your friend because you're gay?" Naruto asked. "I'm a little hurt."

"It isn't that," Kiba quickly reassured. "I just…I haven't told anybody yet. I thought you should be the first person I tell, because you're my best friend."

"Well, thanks, I guess," Naruto said as he finished his third bowl of ramen. "I just don't get why you'd be all that nervous about it. I mean, I pretended to go out with Sasuke, for god's sake!"

"Yeah, but there's something else I have to tell you," Kiba said, taking a deep breath. "Naruto, I think I…I think I like you."

"You…you think you…like me?" Naruto asked, as if those five words stringed together in that order made absolutely no sense. "But…you just said before that we're best friends. How could you say that, and then tell me that you like me?"

"I…I don't know," Kiba admitted. "There was another reason I knew I was gay in addition to the porn. Whenever I saw you with Sasuke, I got extremely mad. After the incident with the porn, I realized that I was…I was jealous of him."

"I'm sorry, Kiba, but I'm not gay," Naruto said.

"I…I know that you think that, but…how can you be sure?" Kiba asked.

"You think you know my sexuality better than I know it myself?" Naruto asked.

"Well, no offense, but it's not like you have much experience either way," Kiba said. "The only sexual experience you have is blowing Sasuke, and you were crazy when you did that."

"Thanks for the reminder," Naruto said, scrunching up his nose. "Listen, I get that you want me to be gay so you have a chance, but I'm not gay. Now, can we please just forget about this. I don't want things to be awkward between us."

"Fine," Kiba said, finishing his bowl. "Now finish eating, fox-face, so I can get you back home."

* * *

Sasuke stood at the mall waiting for his friends to arrive. He had made plans three days ago to hang out with Gaara. Once Sakura heard, she invited herself along, and decided to invite Neji and Tenten. They, in turn, invited Hinata. So now, hanging out with Gaara turned into a public event for Sasuke, which he was none too pleased about.

That's not to say that he didn't like Sakura, Hinata, Tenten or Neji. It's just that there are some things he had to talk to Gaara about. Some things, girls just wouldn't understand. And there are some things that straight guys don't understand. But Gaara was just like him in many ways, which made him much easier to talk to.

It had been three and a half weeks since his latest incident with Naruto – since he realized that he actually liked the blond. It was so weird for Sasuke – he didn't even realize he had feelings that went beyond physical looks until it was too late. After he switched schools, he had figured that his feelings for Naruto would fade, but they didn't. He kept having this urge to see how he was doing.

The fact that their social circles pretty much merged didn't help much. Now, Sakura was friends with Kiba and Naruto, Ino was friends with Sakura, Neji, Tenten and Hinata, and Sai was friends with…everyone. If a party was thrown, everyone in both groups would be invited. But Sasuke knew he couldn't go – not if Naruto was going to be there.

It was a few minutes before Sasuke's friends finally showed up – first Hinata, Tenten and Neji, then Gaara, and finally Sakura. They all joked that with her sense of timing, she'd be late to her own funeral.

"So how's Hebi?" Hinata asked the raven as they began to walk around the mall. They were first heading to Abercrombie so that Sakura could drag Gaara into a changing room and make him rate potential outfits. Poor Gaara – he came out first, so he was already the designated gay best friend.

"It's not that bad," Sasuke admitted. "I have a couple of friends already, which is nice. But there's this one kid – Deidara – who's a real asshole. He's actually friends with Itachi."

"Go figure," Neji said, smirking.

"I heard Karin transferred schools, too," Sakura mentioned. "Is she as bad as she was in Konoha?"

"Worse," Sasuke told them. "She thinks that I truly love her, and that I only think I'm gay because Naruto corrupted me."

"That isn't really worse," Tenten pointed out. "She's really been just as delusional for a while."

"But now, she thinks she's my friend," Sasuke told her. "She sits near me in class, and she always sits at my lunch table. Suigetsu keeps trying to get her to leave, but she won't."

"Who's Suigetsu?" asked Sakura.

"He's a friend," Sasuke told her, with an air of finality in his voice. The last thing he really wanted was for Suigetsu to meet his other friends. The last thing he needed was to mix social groups. Then, it wouldn't be long before Juugo started to meet them, and then…Karin would worm her way in.

Before anyone could ask Sasuke any more questions, they reached Abercrombie. Sakura squealed and pulled a less-than-enthusiastic Gaara by his wrist through the store, while Sasuke, Hinata, Tenten and Neji waited in the benches outside the store for them. It would be a while, and they didn't really have a need to spend time in the store.

"So how's it going with Naruto?" Neji asked Sasuke after a few moments of silence.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked. "I haven't even seen the dobe."

"I meant how are you feeling about Naruto," Neji clarified. "You didn't exactly have strictly platonic feelings when the shit hit the fan."

"Yeah, well, life sucks sometimes," Sasuke said. "There isn't much I can do about it." After a pregnant pause, Sasuke decided to start asking questions. "How's Konoha been since I left?"

"Not a lot has changed," Tenten said. "Naruto's been pretty annoying, though. He keeps talking about you, trying to get someone to tell him where you went."

"Can we just not talk about him for a while?" Sasuke asked the Chinese girl. "It's a little hard to forget about him when he always comes up in conversation."

"Fine," Tenten said. "Kakashi misses you."

"I miss him, too," Sasuke said. "Tell him that he's free to stop by my house if he wants to see me."

"I'll do that," Tenten said.

"By the way, guess what I found out," Sasuke began.

"What?" Hinata asked.

"Gaara's grandmother – Chiyo – is a teacher at Hebi," Sasuke informed the three.

"Huh," Neji said. "I guess it _is_ a small world."

Chit chat continued while the group waited for the pinkette and the redhead to exit the store, which finally happened almost 45 minutes after they went in. And of course, Sakura had five bags of clothes in her hands. What kind of idiots were her parents to give her a charge card? That's like giving an alcoholic a free ticket to a wine-tasting.

"Who wants lunch?" the girl asked.

Just fifteen short minutes later, the six friends were sitting at a table – well, it was really three tables pushed together – each with different food from the food court. Tenten had McDonald's, which Sakura envied. The pink haired girl could never eat fast food without losing her precious figure. Neji got pizza, and Hinata got some soup. Gaara got some chicken from an Asian place, and Sasuke got a sandwich from Subway. As for Sakura, the pinkette was currently dining on one of the blandest salads known to mankind, muttering about stupid diets.

Finally, they finished their meals, but they decided not to get up. They really didn't have much to do except talk. After twenty minutes, Tenten realized she had a doctor's appointment, which Neji offered to drive her to. Sasuke volunteered to drive Hinata home when they were done, as the three all came in Neji's car. Then, about twenty minutes later, Sakura realized she was missing her weekly mani-pedi, and she had to leave as well. Eventually, Gaara had to leave too, leaving Sasuke and Hinata alone.

"How's it been going with you?" Sasuke asked her. "I've been noticing that you stutter less now."

"I still stutter a lot when I'm nervous," she began, "but I've been getting some therapy to help calm me down."

"That's cool," Sasuke said. "I could use some therapy. Sometimes I feel like my life is just a soap opera, and there's a writer who is intent on torturing me with fan girls and hot boy-girlfriends."

"I've been thinking of asking Kiba out," Hinata said, surprising Sasuke. "I know it's a little weird, and I'll probably get so nervous that I won't be able to go a word without stuttering, but I really want him to go out with me."

For an instant, Sasuke had a pitying look in his eyes, which he was sure to correct instantly. Unfortunately for him, Hinata didn't miss the gaze.

"What's wrong?" Hinata asked. "Do you not want me to date him?"

"It's not that," Sasuke said, trying to voice his suspicions with little offense to the girl. "I just think that he might not be all that into you."

"Why would you say that?" Hinata asked with sad eyes.

"It's not you, it's him," Sasuke said, slapping himself mentally for such a lame line. "I think…I think he might be gay."

"W-Why would you say that?" she asked. Sasuke slapped himself a little harder mentally, realizing that he caused the return of her stutter.

"Well, when I was dating Naruto and he still thought he was a girl, Kiba was pretty upset," Sasuke explained. "He seemed…jealous."

Hinata didn't say anything after that. She just kind of sat there, contemplating what Sasuke said and what she observed about the dog boy. He had always seemed protective of Naruto, but Naruto was his best friend. Lately, though, he'd been watching the blond a little more closely. As much as Hinata didn't want to believe it, she couldn't help but think there might be some validity to Sasuke's suspicions.

"Naruto," she whispered, confusing the raven.

"What did you say?" he asked, not sure what she was talking about.

"Naruto-kun," she repeated. "He's right behind you." It was at that moment that Sasuke heard the blonde's voice shout a greeting to the girl. Luckily, the blond was behind him, but not too close. Sasuke still had a chance to get away.

"I'll just be…" Sasuke began, trying to think of a place to go.

"I'll find you when he's gone," Hinata promised, shooing Sasuke away. Sasuke hurriedly left, making sure not to face the blond, lest he think that Kyuubi was at the mall with Hinata. Hinata watched Sasuke leave as Naruto took his place at the table, looking at the retreating figure.

"Who was that?" Naruto asked the girl.

"I-It was…it was no one, N-Naruto-kun," Hinata said, laughing nervously. Naruto just shrugged his shoulder, not really caring who it was. "W-What are you doing here alone?"

"Oh, I'm not alone," he said cheerfully. "Kiba's at the CD store getting a Bon Jovi CD."

"Oh," Hinata said, thinking of what her friend said just seconds earlier. "Um…N-Naruto, can I…ask you a question?"

"Sure, Hinata," Naruto said, intertwining his fingers behind his head and leaning back on the two rear legs of his chair.

"Is…Is Kiba-kun…Is he gay?" Hinata asked nervously, as if the answer held the key to her happiness. Naruto, shocked, pushed himself a little too far back on his chair, which toppled as he fell over. He quickly pulled his chair up, ignoring the stares he got from the other people at the court and focusing on Hinata.

"Why would you think Kiba's gay?" Naruto asked, chuckling nervously and rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. Hinata, who knew Naruto's body language by now, was getting increasingly nervous.

"Just…Just answer my question, please," Hinata pleaded, her voice little louder than a whisper. Naruto sighed and sat back down.

"I honestly can't tell you," Naruto said, clasping Hinata's hands in his own to comfort her. "You have to ask him."

"The fact that you just can't tell me 'no' says volumes," Hinata said, her eyes tearing up, as she pulled her hands out from under Naruto's grasp. She stood up, ready to leave, but was stopped by Naruto.

"Hinata, please sit down," he asked her.

"I…I don't want to sit here waiting for Kiba," Hinata said. Naruto took a look over his shoulder in to the music store, and saw that Kiba was driving some salesperson crazy looking for his CD.

"Kiba won't be here for a little while," Naruto guessed, urging the dark lavender-haired girl to sit down. Hinata was hesitant to at first, but ended up complying, sitting back down across from the blond.

How could she be so stupid? She risked her whole happiness on her crush on Kiba, and it turns out he doesn't even like her? Not only was she crushed, she was…she was devastated! She couldn't stop the tears rolling down her eyes. Luckily, she, being the quiet and timid girl she was, didn't make that much noise when she sobbed.

"Hinata," Naruto said, concern in his face evident, "You're going to find someone who is ten times smarter, better looking, and straighter than Kiba ever was, and he's going to fall madly in love with you. You will be that couple that argues on the phone for the other to hang up first, you will be the couple that always has public displays of affection, and you will be the happiest girl on Earth. You will be married, and have tons of little cliché babies, and you'll all live happily ever after. You don't need Kiba for that."

"I…I know," Hinata sobbed. "It's…It's just that h-he…I love him. I…I was going to ask him to prom later." She continued to sob as Naruto looked on, not really knowing what to say. He settled for standing up and going to sit next to her as opposed to the seat that he occupied across from her. He rubbed her back comfortingly and she started to cry on his chest.

"You…you don't have a date for prom?" Naruto asked, his throat going dry. He felt a definite shake of her head on his chest as he continued to try to calm her down. "How would you like to go with me to the prom?"

Naruto honestly didn't know why he felt the urge to take Hinata. In part, it was guilt – Kiba liked him and not her, which was a huge reason of her sorrow. Then there was the part of him that really would have been embarrassed to not show up to prom with a girl on his arm – after the 'incident', everyone saw him as girly and gay, even though he was adamant that he wasn't; maybe showing up with Hinata would prove to people that he was not gay.

And then there was the part of him that he shut up. This was Hinata – beautiful, shy, dainty. She was the perfect girlfriend. She was the kind of person that people would expect him to be with. It might have sounded kind of selfish, but it would help him be who everyone wants him to be. And if he happened to develop real feelings for her, so be it.

"I…I just told you that I love K-Kiba-kun, and you're asking me out?" Hinata asked. "I don't need your pity!"

"It's not like that!" Naruto defended. "I just don't have a date, and you don't have a date, so I was thinking we could go together…as friends. You know, carpool and all that stuff."

"I don't know," Hinata said, thinking about the blonde's proposal. "I'll tell you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Naruto asked.

"I need to talk to my friends about it," Hinata told him. "I want to make sure that it's okay if I go with you."

"Why do you need their permission?" Naruto asked.

"You wouldn't understand," Hinata told him. She stood up from her table and bowed to him. "I have to go; I'll talk to you later." With that, Hinata ran away from the table where the blond sat and pulled out her cell phone to call Sasuke.

They needed to talk.

* * *

Ask Sasuke how it happened…he doesn't know. All he knows is that one second, he and Hinata go back to her family's mansion and Sakura, Gaara and Tenten are waiting for them in Hinata's room to talk to the two of them. And the second Hinata and Sasuke entered the room, they knew it would be a nightmare.

"It's about time!" Sakura exclaimed when the Hyuuga girl shut the door behind her. "We've been waiting for twenty minutes!"

"What exactly are you here for?" Sasuke asked, not exactly thrilled to see the girl. After all, there was only so much Sakura one person could take before they went crazy.

"We heard Naruto asked Hinata out, and we wanted to be here for you guys," Sakura said, her personality about as bubbly as possible.

Sasuke stared at her in confusion. Hinata had been waiting to tell Sasuke of her encounter with the vulpine boy until they got to her house, but Sakura beat them to it.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sasuke said.

"How do you even know?" Hinata asked.

"Naruto told Kiba, who told Choji, who told Ino, who told Neji, who told Tenten, who told me," Sakura began, "so, I decided to invite myself over and invite Gaara so the five of us could talk."

"Where's Neji?" Hinata asked.

"He's not allowed," Sakura said nonchalantly. "He's a guy." Immediately, Gaara and Sasuke's eyes locked across the room and then instantaneously turned to the pinkette.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but Sasuke and I are guys too," Gaara drawled.

"Yeah, but you're _gay_," Sakura said, waving his concerns away. "You guys follow the girl code."

"The girl code?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, we're focusing on rule 5," Tenten said, jumping into the conversation. "'You are never, in any case, to date a friend's ex or someone a friend likes'. It's a basic rule."

"So, wait," Sasuke said, trying to figure things out in his head. "Naruto asked you out?" he asked, turning to Hinata.

The timid girl nodded. "He…he asked me to prom." Sasuke finally took the opportunity to sit down in the space next to Gaara.

On the one hand, he was happy for Hinata. If she had Naruto, she wouldn't be so devastated that Kiba's gay. And they could probably be good for each other – he could help make her less nervous and she could make him less loud. That would be good for everyone involved.

Then there was the selfish part of him – the part of him that knew he liked Naruto and was still hurting from the way they had to be separated. He never got to achieve real closure, and now Naruto's showing signs of moving on. It did hurt Sasuke – not that he'd ever say that out loud.

There were two things he could do – endorse the couple, or keep them apart. If he told her he didn't want her to date Naruto, then she'd possibly get depressed over Kiba, and it would all be his fault. If he told her he was okay with it, he'd be the martyr, sacrificing his own feelings for that of his friends'. The choice was very simple.

"Do it," he said.

"What?" Hinata asked, not believing what Sasuke was saying.

"I said do it," Sasuke repeated, standing up. "Why should I care what you do with the dobe? I don't like him, and he's not even my real ex. I hope you guys are happy together."

Sasuke, without waiting for any acknowledgment, walked out of the room and headed towards his car. He opened his door and slammed it shut after he got in. He put the keys in the ignition and turned it, bringing the car roaring to life. He never drove away from a place as fast as he did that day.

* * *

Sasuke didn't really know where he was going; his hands just worked on autopilot, taking him wherever. He passed the exit of the highway that he would take to go home, intent on just escaping.

He knew that Gaara or Sakura would probably try to find him. In all reality, he probably could have been nicer about the whole situation. He knew that he probably came off cold to Hinata, which he really felt sorry about. It wasn't _her_ fault Naruto asked her out.

_But she could have just flat out said 'no',_ Sasuke thought. _Would it have really been that hard?_

Sasuke stopped driving, and it was only then that he realized where he was. He got out of the car, and slammed the door behind him again. He walked up the asphalt driveway to the door, where he rang the doorbell.

He heard the tone echo throughout the large house and waited a few seconds before the person he was unconsciously looking for opened the door to great him.

"Sasuke!" the person at the door said. "I didn't expect to see you today. What do you want?"

"To forget," the raven replied, closing the gap between them and capturing Suigetsu's mouth with his own.

**Please Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	9. Remembering Sasuke Part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Sasuke, or Sakura, or Ino, or Shikamaru, or…well, you get the picture.**

**This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Nine: Remembering Sasuke (Part Two)

Yamanaka Ino really hated Monday mornings. If you looked at the girl from the outside, she seemed like a more sane version of Sakura – peppy, happy, and bright. But on Monday mornings, as her roommate knew, Ino was a real bitch.

It was for that reason exactly that Naruto had bought the best coffee maker on the market. Both he and Ino hated the stuff, but it was the only thing that made good-Ino make an appearance in the mornings. If it wasn't for the coffee, she'd be unbearable.

But this morning, Ino didn't get to enjoy her morning coffee. And Naruto had to kick bad-Ino out early. Hey, she was already ready for school, and she was nagging him and complaining about life. It was like she was on a mega-period. So, yeah, bad-Ino had to go.

And that's how Yamanaka Ino ended up sitting in her car outside Konoha High half an hour before school started, sipping her Dunkin Donuts coffee before she went inside. Kids were starting to show up and file into the school, but Ino didn't care. She didn't care about anything or anyone in the world. That is, she didn't care about anything or anyone in the world until the first drop of coffee passed her lips.

Thank god for coffee!

It was really peaceful to her. She was sitting in her car, sippin' her coffee, and listening to Britney Spears' new song on the radio. Her car was also a great source of warmth. It was mid-March, but it was still bitter cold outside. And Ino hated the cold. Then again, she hated a lot of things before she had her coffee.

As Ino drank the last few gulps of her coffee, she heard the passenger side door open, startling her. She turned to the door, shocked to see a kid she recognized from her class get into the car, as if it was perfectly normal. He had fairly long, jet black hair tied in a spiky ponytail, narrow brown eyes, and earrings in both ears.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ino screamed as the boy slammed the door shut.

"Can you be quiet? I'm trying to hide," the boy said. Now, even though Ino had just finished her coffee, it does take a few minutes for it to kick in. And provoking Ino when her coffee has yet to kick in…well, let's just say there aren't too many survivors.

"Who the hell do you think you are, just hopping into my car?" she yelled as loud as she could, just to piss the boy off. He sent her a glare and covered her mouth with his hand.

He was _so_ dead.

"This is so troublesome," he sighed, prompting Ino to roll her eyes.

"Let me go," she said against his hand, coming out muffled, sounding like 'Wugh Haw Guh'.

"I need you to promise not to shout," he said nonchalantly, as if he had better things to do. Ino nodded and he released her head, earning a smack from the girl.

"Who are you hiding from?" Ino asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"My girlfriend, Temari," the brunet said. "She goes to Konoha University, and she wanted to yell at me for sleeping through our date yesterday. Naturally, I left during her tirade, and she decided to follow me here. So please be quiet until she leaves." He looked into the rear view mirror and saw Temari approaching the car. "Thank god for tinted windows," he said, climbing into the back. "Get rid of her," he told the blonde.

Seconds later, Ino saw a dirty blonde girl knock on the window of the driver's door through her windows. She rolled down the windows to talk to the intimidating girl.

"Hello?" she asked. "Is there anything you'd like?"

"I'd like to know why my boyfriend is in the back seat of your car," the girl asked, not falling for Ino's fake charm.

"Yeah, well, he's there because he was trying to hide from you," Ino explained, trying to get rid of the duo. She knew that the boy in the back was probably not happy that Ino chose to rat him out, but since when did bad-Ino give a rat's ass about people who just happen to walk into her car?

"Why would he hide in _your_ car?" Temari asked suspiciously. "Unless you two…"

It took Ino's mind a few minutes to realize what Temari was implying before sticking her tongue out in disgust. "It's _so_ not like that," Ino said, chuckling.

"I'm sure it isn't," Temari drawled, looking at Ino's chest. "But something tells me that you and Shika know each other a little too well."

"If you're jealous and can't trust your boyfriend, that's _your_ problem," Ino said, noticing Shikamaru leaving the car on the passenger side, slipping away unnoticed by Temari. "So please leave and go get your boyfriend; I don't need the drama."

"I know your type," Temari said. "You girls feed on drama. You're all the same – every single one of you. Slutty, plastic, whores who don't care who they hurt as long as they get some ass. Am I on the mark?"

"You're dead…" Ino said, glaring at the girl, "…on. Dead on. You pegged me – I'm a slut, and your boyfriend was _so_ good. That thing he does with his tongue is so hot." She smiled as Temari's glare intensified. After a short stare down, Temari walked behind the car to leave. Ino, still fumed about being called a slutty whore and still lacking the proper amount of coffee, decided that it would be a good time to back up…right into Temari.

The older girl fell to the ground, and Ino pulled her car back into the parking space. She knew that with the slow speed she was at, Temari wasn't really all that hurt – it was little more than a fall. Ino turned her car off and got out, walking past Temari on the way to the school.

"You should watch where you're walking," Ino said over her shoulder to the girl who was now standing. Temari just sneered at her and left.

As Ino approached the building, she saw Shikamaru standing by the side of the building smoking a cigarette. Anger boiling inside of her, she moved to confront the boy.

"How dare you put me in the middle of your mess," Ino scolded him.

"I didn't force you to run her over," Shikamaru said after a yawn.

"Well, she deserved it," Ino muttered. "If you want to break up with her, do it. But don't drag me into this anymore, got it?"

"Aye aye," he said, doing a two fingered salute that was completely sarcastic. Ino, realizing that was the best she'd get, decided to just walk away. What a fucking weirdo!

* * *

Sasuke knew he finally had to bite the bullet and talk to Suigetsu about what happened last night. It was actually pretty lucky that he was able to put it off this long, come to think of it. They would have had to talk this morning, but Sasuke sneaked out of the house and took his car to school early to avoid just that situation. But now that Suigetsu had just walked into their class, Sasuke knew that it was time to talk about it.

Suigetsu walked up the stairs of the lecture hall-styled class and flung his bags onto the seat next to Sasuke that he'd been sitting in ever since the first day that he took Karin's seat. He wasn't stupid – he could feel the tension radiating off of the raven. Silently, he sat down and took out his books for the first class.

For a second, Sasuke saw the light haired boy pull out his book and thought that they could just forget what happened. But seconds later, he was proven wrong when Suigetsu spoke up.

"So, about last night," the boy began, not knowing what to say afterwards. It was one of the most awkward conversations either of them had experienced.

"Listen, I'm sorry," Sasuke said before Suigetsu could continue. "I had…a moment of weakness. But it's passed now, and I'm back to normal. You don't have to worry about me jumping your bones."

Suigetsu snorted. "I certainly wasn't worried last night," he said, to which Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Come on! You can't honestly say that after last night, you don't realize that I'm bi, can you?"

"I just figured you didn't know how to react because it was so out of the blue," Sasuke said, shrugging his shoulders. "It doesn't matter, anymore."

"You never told me why you had that 'moment of weakness'," Suigetsu said. "Was it that boy that Itachi was teasing you about?"

"It doesn't matter," Sasuke said, partly to the other boy and partly to himself. "Naruto is no longer a part of my life."

It was quiet between the two for a few seconds, neither one wanting to actually discuss the severity of what had happened between them. Luckily for them, the awkward silence was broken with the quiet vibrating of Sasuke's cell phone in his pocket.

_Shit,_ thought Sasuke. _I forgot to tell Gaara I was alright after I tore out of Hinata's like a bat out of hell_.

Unfortunately for Gaara, the bell at Hebi had just rung, so he would have to wait six more hours to hear from his friend.

Today, Jugo and Karin were both absent from school, leaving Sasuke and Suigetsu alone for lunch. Normally, it would be all the better for Sasuke – not having to deal with Karin – but today was different.

Sasuke silently ate his meal staring at the wall in front of him instead of his friend, who was pushing around the meatballs on his plate. Finally, the silence and the tension became so thick that Suigetsu dropped his fork and knife on his plate, creating a _clang_ sound.

"We have to talk about what happened," Suigetsu said. "If we don't, things won't be able to go back to normal between us."

"I don't want a relationship," Sasuke said, laying all his cards out on the table.

"So you didn't enjoy it?" Suigetsu asked incredulously. "That's a serious ego bruiser, man."

"It's not that," Sasuke said. "It's just that I don't want to have a relationship right now."

"You're still hung up on that Naruto kid, aren't you?" Suigetsu asked. "And don't tell me that it doesn't matter, because it does. I'm willing to bet my mansion that you came over yesterday because of him. Am I right?"

Sasuke didn't say anything, but chose to rather grunt, which Suigetsu knew by now was his way of confirming his suspicions.

"You still didn't answer my question," Suigetsu said with a smirk. "Was it as good for you as it was for me?"

"Suigetsu, I haven't had relief in weeks," Sasuke said very plainly. "A strong breeze would have probably been just as good."

"So you admit it was good," Suigetsu said with his toothy grin. "I always knew that you'd be the kind of person to never admit that you liked sex."

"Stop talking about it," Sasuke said, putting his foot down. "We had sex, and now it's over. We don't need to ever mention it again."

"So you're saying that you don't want to drop on by my house after school for part two?" Suigetsu asked, earning himself a glare from Sasuke. "Jeez, calm down, dude, I was just kidding. You weren't all that good anyway."

This time, it was Sasuke's turn to snort. "I'll have you know that I'm extremely good in bed if I'm with someone who actually knows what they're doing."

"Did Naruto tell you that?" Suigetsu asked smirking.

"I never had sex with Naruto," Sasuke said monotonously. "And if you ever mention him, last night, or sex in general ever again, I will personally have you castrated."

"Yet more proof that you're obsessed with my bits and pieces," Suigetsu said, picking up his tray to dispose of the uneaten food. Sasuke sent him a glare and went to do the same with his tray. "I should thank you," Suigetsu said as they walked back to the classroom. "I haven't had any good sex in months."

"I told you it was good," Sasuke said with a smirk, outsmarting the light haired teen.

"I'd say we should do it again sometime, but I wouldn't want your ego to grow out of control," Suigetsu said.

Sasuke snorted once more as the two walked side by side through the hallway. "I already know I'm amazing in bed. I'm surprised you aren't already begging me for more."

"I guess I'm a little late to keep your ego in check," Suigetsu muttered. They finally reached the classroom and walked back to the usual seats in the back of the class.

"I'm picking up Sakura and Ino after school today, but how about you stop by my house later?" Sasuke asked sounding bored. "And no, don't expect a repeat of last night."

"I didn't," Suigetsu said. "I'll be there at 8:00."

* * *

Life was finally good for Naruto. He was normal again, and he had finally gotten all the people around him out of the habit of treating him like a girl. It was especially hard for Sakura. The girl had _two_ gay best friends, and she still kept trying to get Naruto to help her pick out clothes.

He wasn't even paying attention to Jiraya anymore. The pervert didn't understand that Naruto wasn't gay, even when Naruto told him outright. But eventually, things went back to normal and Jiraya spent the period showing the class the "research" he'd done over the weekend.

He was just doodling in his notebook when he was hit in the head by a small ball of paper. He looked in the direction it came from and saw Hinata looking at him. He opened the paper and saw a note.

_I can go to the prom with you. Pick me up at 8._

Naruto smiled at Hinata and nodded in confirmation before putting it away. Prom was still a month away, but it still seemed like everyone was already ready for it. It was good for his ego to know that he wouldn't have to go with Kiba as friends. Although, with Kiba's recent admission, it would probably be easier for him to go with Sakura or Ino. Too bad Sakura was going with Sai and Ino with Choji.

All of a sudden, snapping him out of his thoughts, the bell rang. He collected his stuff and put it in his backpack as Ino came over to him.

"Don't expect me to be home for dinner tonight," Ino told him. "I'm going out with a few people."

"And I wasn't invited?" Naruto asked, pretending to sound hurt.

"It's just a couple of us girls – you know, Sakura, Tenten, Hinata," Ino lied, rattling off the names of her friends.

"Oh, okay," Naruto said, grateful he'd no longer be included in girl's nights out. "I'll see you later, then."

Naruto walked through the hall towards his locker to get his jacket, but was stopped by Hinata.

"So did your friends say it was okay?" Naruto joked.

"Yeah, they don't mind if I go with you," Hinata confirmed.

"Why would they?" Naruto asked. "I know them all. The girls love me and the guys don't really care one way or the other."

"Believe me, the girls aren't the only ones who love you," Hinata muttered.

"What'd you say?" Naruto asked, not hearing what the quiet girl said.

"Nothing, Naruto-kun," Hinata said. "Anyway, I wanted to say thanks for asking me. If you hadn't, I probably would have gone crazy about Kiba being…you know."

"It's no problem, Hinata," Naruto said, reaching his locker.

"Well, bye then," Hinata said to him, turning in the other direction to leave the building.

"Oh, and have fun with Ino, Sakura and Tenten!" Naruto yelled after her.

"What are you talking about?" Hinata asked.

"You guys are hanging out tonight, right?" Naruto asked. In response, Hinata gave a confused look. "Ino told me…" he said, trailing off. "Never mind, I must have heard wrong."

"Okay, then," Hinata said. "Bye, Naruto-kun."

"Bye!" Naruto yelled after her, waving. He pulled out his phone and called Ino's cell as he put his jacket on. As he closed the locker, his call was sent to voicemail. He hung up without leaving a message and went towards the front of the school. "Why'd you lie to me, Ino?" he asked himself.

He finally got outside and looked around to see where Ino went, if she was even still there. Suddenly, he saw a flash of pink hair, and noticed the two people next to her. First was Ino, and next to them both was Kyuubi.

* * *

"I'm sure he didn't see anything," Sakura said, trying to calm Sasuke down. He'd been driving for five minutes, but he knew – he just _knew_ that Naruto had seen him. Their eyes had connected in a moment before Sasuke got in the car with the girls and drove off.

Ino, still not sure whether or not Naruto saw them, pulled out her phone to call him. The second she flipped open her phone, she saw three new messages from Naruto.

"He saw," Ino confirmed. "He's been calling me since we left."

"How are you gonna explain to him that you guys just happened to get in a car with his dead, rapist father?" Sasuke asked.

"We'll be creative," Sakura said. "It's not ideal, but we can fix this."

"How?" Ino asked. "He's already seen Sasuke with Hinata and with me before. Now there's _this_! He's going to go crazy."

"Why don't we just sit him down and tell him the truth?" Sakura asked. "I mean, he has been asking about Sasuke, and he asked us to tell him if something is wrong with him. Maybe he'll get over it."

"It's not that easy," Ino said. "The doctor told us that he might be able to understand, but he'd still see Kyuubi and he'd still feel the same way."

"..which brings us back to how you'll tell him that his father is driving you around town," Sasuke said, making a turn into his driveway.

"We'll tell him he's wrong, and that it was Tenten he saw," Sakura said with a shrug. "No big deal."

"Because Tenten looks a lot like a 40-something old man with red hair," Ino said sarcastically.

Ino's ringtone broke the momentary silence that fell after Sasuke's statement. She looked at it and then back at her friends in the front seat before flipping it open and putting it to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked. "Oh, hey, Naruto…Sakura and I are fine…Kyuubi? He's dead, remember? You have to stop with this Kyuubi nonsense. It's not healthy…I don't care what you think you saw, I'm not with Kyuubi!...Yeah, Tenten, Hinata and Sakura are with me, just like I told you before…What do you mean you spoke to Hinata?...Fine, I'm sorry I lied, but I promise I'm not with Kyuubi."

Ino looked up at Sakura for assistance, but Sakura just shrugged apologetically. Sasuke rolled his eyes and grabbed the phone.

"Naruto, it's Sasuke…Yes, it's me, idiot, now shut up and listen. Ino is not with Kyuubi; he's dead, remember. She and Sakura are with me at my house." He paused, listening to Naruto's question. "Because they know I don't want to see you, and that if they told you, you'd try to join along…I don't have the patience for this, just ask Ino when she gets home." With that, Sasuke shut the phone and threw it in the backseat.

"What the fuck did you just do!" Ino yelled.

"It's not like he hears Kyuubi instead of me," Sasuke said.

"What am I gonna say when he asks why I've been lying to him about you?" Ino demanded.

"Just tell him that you respected my wishes that I didn't want to see him," Sasuke said. "You can tell him I thought it would be too awkward."

"You either just saved my butt, or you complicated this whole thing even more," Ino muttered.

* * *

Naruto knew that Sasuke was lying. He'd grown up with Kyuubi, and he could not erase the images of _that night_ out of his mind. There was no way he'd confuse what Kyuubi looked like.

He tried to think rationally. Obviously, Kyuubi was alive. That much was true in his mind. And that night, everyone was so much more focused on Naruto than Kyuubi, that he could have just faked his death.

This was the third time he'd seen Kyuubi. First in his hospital room after almost having sex with Sasuke. Second in the mall with Hinata right after she had talked to him. Kyuubi was probably watching Naruto and then tried to get information from the girl.

Just now, it was very possible that Kyuubi had kidnapped Ino, Sakura, and even Sasuke. He wouldn't put it past Kyuubi – the man was a monster. And if that was true, then when Naruto called, he could have told Ino and Sasuke to cover for him.

Suddenly, it all started to make sense in Naruto's mind. Kyuubi was mad at Naruto for "turning gay". What better way to get his revenge than by driving Naruto crazy. No one would believe Naruto that Kyuubi was alive, and then he could easily kidnap all of his friends and family.

Naruto now had two instincts. One was to find help for his friends, and the other was to take matters into his own hands. Still scared of the man after their last encounter, Naruto chose to call Inoichi and explain the situation. If anyone would know what Kyuubi was capable of, it would be Inoichi.

He pulled out his phone and dialed his father's number, waiting impatiently until it reached voicemail. Frustrated, Naruto hung up and redialed, finally getting an answer.

"Naruto? What's wrong?" Inoichi asked on the other line.

"Thank god you picked up!" Naruto exclaimed. "I think Kyuubi kidnapped Sakura and Ino."

"Naruto," Inoichi said, sounding almost annoyed.

"I swear!" Naruto yelled. "I know you think he's dead, but he could have faked it! No one would know – you were all too busy worrying about me. He could have paid off someone, or something!"

"I identified the body," Inoichi told him. "Kyuubi's dead."

"You don't understand!" Naruto shouted. "He has Sasuke, too. Who knows who else he has!"

"Sasuke?" Inoichi asked. "Why would you think that?"

"When I called Ino, Sasuke spoke to me," Naruto told the blond. "He said that Ino was with him, but I think Kyuubi told him to say that."

"Naruto," Inoichi said in a patronizing tone of voice.

"You think I'm crazy," Naruto said, realizing Inoichi didn't believe a word he said.

"I don't think you're crazy," Inoichi said with a sigh.

"You do!" Naruto said. "I'm not sick anymore…I know I'm a guy."

"I know that," Inoichi said. "But I also know that Kyuubi is dead and that Ino and Sakura and Sasuke are all fine. Just leave it alone." Without giving Naruto ample time to beg to be believed, Inoichi hung up, solidifying the idea in Naruto's mind that Kyuubi's master plan was to isolate him.

His only hope left was to call the police, but even they didn't believe Naruto when he told them that a man who has been declared dead had kidnapped his three friends on the sole evidence that they sounded weird over the phone. Naruto knew that it was stupid, but he felt he had only one solution – he'd have to take matters into his own hands and stop Kyuubi once and for all.

He got into his car and drove towards his apartment, thinking of what he should do. First, he'd have to get a gun. Luckily, when Ino and Naruto moved into their apartment, Inoichi made sure a handgun was locked in the house, just in case. Naruto had never been more grateful for moving out of his father's in his life.

After planning out his plan, he'd finally reached his building and quickly taken the gun. He got back in his car and headed towards the Uchiha mansion, where one of two things would happen. Naruto had seen at the school that the car that Kyuubi picked Ino and Sakura up in was Sasuke's, which made him believe that he was holding them at the Uchiha mansion. Even if he wasn't, though, he could probably get Itachi's help to rescue Sasuke.

He raced to the Uchiha's hoping to god that he wouldn't be too late.

**Please Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	10. Remembering Sasuke Part 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Sasuke, or Sakura, or Ino, or Shikamaru, or…well, you get the picture.**

**This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Ten: Remembering Sasuke (Part Three)

Gaara was sitting outside the school that afternoon waiting for the late bus. He had stayed afterschool because of the drama club, and he was very tired. He barely had any energy left after their dress rehearsal. He slowly closed his eyes, just to rest them for a minute.

It was fifteen minutes later that Kiba left the school, knowing he'd have to drive himself home. The late bus was scheduled to pick the students up ten minutes ago, and there was no one left at the school. He walked outside and saw Gaara sitting on the bench, sleeping. He rolled his eyes and walked over to wake the redhead.

"Gaara," he yelled at the sleeping boy as he approached. In response, Gaara's eyes shot open and he looked around, confused for a brief moment.

"What time is it?" Gaara asked, hoping he wasn't asleep for too long.

"6:12," Kiba said, looking at his phone. "You missed the bus."

"Shit," Gaara muttered. "Oh well, thanks for waking me." Gaara began to walk in the general direction of his house, even if it was a few miles away.

"Wait," Kiba said. "I need to talk to you."

Gaara, surprised that Kiba had any business with him whatsoever, turned to face the boy. "About what?" Gaara asked.

"It's about Sasuke," Kiba said. "What's the situation between him and Naruto?"

"You know everything," Gaara said. "Sasuke had to switch out because Naruto associates him with his father. I don't know what else you want me to tell you."

"That's not what I meant," Kiba said. "What's going to happen between them when Naruto is back to normal?"

"Can you be a little more specific?" Gaara asked impatiently.

"Is Sasuke going to try to get Naruto back?" Kiba asked.

"What does it matter to you?" Gaara asked. "Isn't Naruto straight?" He narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing Kiba and what his true intentions are.

"Listen, I just don't want Naruto to be hurt anymore," Kiba said. "And let's just face it, he ends up getting hurt every time that asshole is around."

"Sasuke is not the reason for any of this," Gaara said. "If it wasn't for Sasuke, Naruto would still think he was a girl."

"If it wasn't for Sasuke, Kyuubi wouldn't have…done what he did to Naruto," Kiba said, trying to stay away from the "r-word".

"None of this is Sasuke's fault," Gaara said. "You think he wanted any of this to happen?"

"I don't give a rat's ass about what Sasuke wanted," Kiba said. "I'm not going to get into an argument over him. I just want to make sure that when this is all over, Sasuke will stay away from Naruto."

"I think it's more than that," Gaara said, putting the pieces together. "You don't want Sasuke to get too close to Naruto because you want to be with him instead. Am I right?"

Kiba narrowed his eyes before replying. "I'm just making sure that Sasuke stays away from Naruto. He owes Naruto that much."

"He owes Naruto nothing," Gaara said. "He helped Naruto."

"He _hurt_ Naruto," Kiba said. "Never mind…I'm not going to stay and listen to this." Kiba turned around to go to his car, but was stopped by Gaara's next statement.

"It isn't Sasuke you have to worry about," the redhead said. Kiba turned around with a confused look. "It's Hinata who's going to be going to prom with him, and it's Hinata who has the most likely chance of ending up with him. After all, Naruto's straight, right?"

"Naruto doesn't know what he's talking about," Kiba said. "He's in denial. Besides, I doubt even if he _was_ thinking of going to prom, he wouldn't go with Hinata. He'd probably just end up going with me as buddies."

"You might want to have a talk with your 'buddy', then," Gaara said with a smirk. "I guess you should wonder why he hasn't told you about it yet."

"You know what?" Kiba began, but was cut off by his phone ringing. He picked it up out of his pocket and saw Naruto's caller ID. He pressed 'Talk' and put the phone to his ear. "Hey, Naruto…No, I'm not with them, I'm still at school...That's impossible, Naruto. Kyuubi's dead…Don't go there! I'm sure everything's fine…Hello? Naruto?...Naruto?" He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket before turning back to Gaara. "I have to go."

"What's going on?" Gaara asked. "It has something to do with Sasuke, right?"

"He thinks Kyuubi kidnapped Sasuke, Ino and Sakura and he's going to the Uchiha mansion," Kiba explained. He wanted to make sure I wasn't with them, too."

"You can't let him go to the mansion!" Gaara exclaimed.

"No shit, Sherlock," Kiba said. "Where do you think I'm going?"

"Remember – don't let Naruto see Sasuke," Gaara said as Kiba raced out of hearing distance.

* * *

Naruto was scared and confused. It seemed like all the signs pointed to Kyuubi kidnapping Sasuke, Ino and Sakura, but everyone kept belittling his pleas. He knew he was really no match for Kyuubi when he actually got to face him, but he hoped that the gun he was holding would give him an even playing field.

Of course, that's assuming that Kyuubi doesn't try to take hostages. If he threatened Ino or Sakura or Sasuke, Naruto would have nothing left to bargain with. As he opened the door to the Uchiha mansion silently, he began to regret acting without thinking. But it was too late; he was already in the lion's den.

He walked up the steps quietly, reaching the second floor. He froze, paralyzed, remembering the times he was there as Sasuke's "girlfriend". He was hit with a wave of some emotion he couldn't put his finger on, and it scared him. He felt a headache come on, causing him to sit down on the top step.

He looked at his trembling hands and then back at the gun. He couldn't decide what he should do. He felt like he was falling apart just being this close to Kyuubi. He wasn't confident that he could go in there and help his friends. If anything, he'd probably make things worse.

Naruto had just about made up his mind to leave and get help – there had to be _something_ he hadn't thought of – when he heard a loud, high pitched squeal and Sasuke's voice screaming Sakura's name. Immediately, Naruto's resolve returned and he jumped up. He ran towards where he heard the noise and ended up turning a corner into Sasuke's room.

The sight he met shocked him.

The only person there was Kyuubi, sitting in Sasuke's chair at Sasuke's desk.

"Naruto?" he said, confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Where are they?" Naruto asked, pointing his gun at Kyuubi.

"Ino and Sakura?" Kyuubi asked, almost sounding panicked. "They were just having a pillow fight in here right before you got here. They're out somewhere in the hallway now."

"And Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "What'd you do with him?"

"I…Naruto put the gun down," Kyuubi said. "I promise, I won't hurt you."

"Liar!" Naruto yelled, cocking the gun. "All you've ever done is hurt me! It's finally time for you to stop. Sasuke tried to stop you, but I guess I'll just have to do it myself."

* * *

Sasuke stood, paralyzed as Naruto closed the door behind him and locked it, preventing anyone from stopping him.

"There," Naruto said, sounding pleased with himself. "Now you can't go out and hurt them. Not without getting passed me."

"Naruto, I can explain," Sasuke said, desperately trying to force Naruto to put the gun away. "Just let me explain. I promise, I can explain it all."

"There's nothing to explain," Naruto said. "I…I have to do this, or you'll never go away. You'll keep coming back."

"Naruto, I'm not Kyuubi!" Sasuke yelled. "I just look like him…to you."

"That's a pretty weak attempt to get me to put the gun down," Naruto said.

"I'm not lying," Sasuke said, panicked. "Remember how you thought you were a girl? You still haven't fully recovered." Naruto's hand slowly lowered the gun, but didn't drop it.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked. "I know I'm not a girl. Inoichi and Ino said I made a full recovery."

"They lied to you for your own good," Sasuke said. "They played along with what you thought, like when you thought you were a girl."

"I'm…I'm not a girl, though," Naruto said, trying to understand what Sasuke was saying. "I'm…I'm Naruto. I'm a guy. I was pretending to be Sasuke's boyfriend, and then I thought I was a girl. But now…now, I'm better."

"You have Dissociative Reality Disorder," Sasuke said, telling Naruto the truth. It was the only option in this situation. "It means that your mind has rearranged reality to help you cope."

"Wh-What do you mean?" Naruto asked. "I see reality just fine!"

"No, you don't," Sasuke said. "I'm not Kyuubi, I'm Sasuke." Naruto didn't react – a fact that scared Sasuke. "When you thought you were my girlfriend, we were going to…consummate…the relationship. But when that happened, you began to relive the night Kyuubi raped you. Because of that, you associate me with Kyuubi. That's why I had to switch schools and stop seeing you."

"You…you're lying," Naruto said. "You're Kyuubi. You'd do anything to make sure that I didn't shoot you."

"Think about it," Sasuke said. "You saw me in your hospital room – Kyuubi would never be allowed to get that close to you, but I would. When you saw me today…I was driving my own car picking up my two friends. Ino had to lie to you because, like I told you earlier, you'd want to come along to see me. Don't you get it?"

"No…you…you can't be…telling the truth," Naruto said, his hands beginning to tremble. "You're…you're Kyuubi…I know it. You can't just…you can't just _look_ like him for no reason."

"I _don't_ look like him!" Sasuke exclaimed. "Only you think I do."

"Prove it," Naruto said, pointing the gun back up. "Tell me something that only Sasuke knows."

"Remember when you thought you were a girl and we went to that Justin Bieber concert?" Sasuke said, thinking back. "I told you that I didn't want to go, but you said that if I loved you, I'd put up with him for you."

"I still don't believe you," Naruto said.

"What about that time when you put on that neko costume to try to seduce me?" Sasuke asked, standing up out of his chair. "It was _so_ hard to resist you, especially when you kept coming back and begging for me to sleep with you."

"I…" Naruto choked, his hands trembling even more. His head started to throb, and his vision was getting blurry. Tears were starting to roll down his eyes.

"Remember that time when you called me up scared because you had a dream that took you back to the night of the rape?" Sasuke asked, starting to slowly walk towards Naruto. "You were so confused because you didn't remember a thing. I spent the whole night, and you still tried to seduce me then. Remember how Ino walked in on you giving me a blow job?"

Naruto closed his eyes, not being able to focus on anything anymore. Sasuke had finally closed the gap between them, but Naruto still saw his father. It was making sense to him logically. In his head and even in his heart, he knew that it was Sasuke standing less than a foot away from him. And when his eyes were closed, it was easy for Naruto to believe it really was Sasuke standing there.

Sasuke saw Naruto struggling to process the information and felt he had to do something to help him. He gently touched Naruto's chin, causing the blond to tense. He then lifted his chin the slight bit needed before leaning over and kissing Naruto.

For a second, Naruto just froze. He was already reeling from the encounter. Was the man in front of him Kyuubi or Sasuke? Kyuubi could easily be lying to get Naruto to give up the gun. But Naruto didn't know who to believe. And even if it was Sasuke, that would mean that Sasuke was now _kissing him_. Naruto was on overload.

Sasuke, not sensing any reaction from Naruto decided to deepen the kiss. Naruto remembered kissing Sasuke before, and he knew it was just like this. With the comfort and security of knowing it was Sasuke in front of him, he melted into the kiss, opening his mouth to invite Sasuke's tongue in.

They continued to pour their emotions into the kiss for the brief time they were allotted before hearing Ino and Sakura knock on the door.

"Sasuke! Is Naruto in there?" Ino asked.

"We heard screaming!" Sakura added.

Naruto pulled away from Sasuke expecting to open his eyes to see the raven standing in front of him. That was why it was such a shock for him to open his eyes and still see Kyuubi standing in front of him.

Naruto knew that the person in front of him was Sasuke, but it didn't matter. His knee jerk reaction was to believe his eyes and not his heart, and his eyes told him Kyuubi had just kissed him. Kyuubi – the man who raped him – had just kissed him, and Naruto needed to defend himself. Seconds after the kiss was broken, so was the silence as a gunshot rang out.

Naruto watched Kyuubi's face as the bullet plunged into his body at point-blank range. He saw the shock and the pain etched in his face. And then, as Kyuubi fell to the ground, reality shattered like a mirror, and Kyuubi's face was replaced with Sasuke. It was not longer Kyuubi who had been shot; it was Sasuke.

Naruto dropped the gun as his headache intensified even more. He gripped his temples, begging the whole world to stop. He could hear screams on the other side of the door, and then heard it knocked down. He saw Ino and Sakura run in with Kiba following right behind them. His entire life became a silent blur, like in those war movies (1). It was all too much for him, and Naruto had to run.

* * *

Naruto didn't know where he was when he stopped running. His headache had finally subsided, and he was left with a deafening silence. He stood in a room with clutter all over the place. The only door was the one he came in through, and there were no windows. A single hanging light swung above his head, flickering on and off.

It was raining outside, and the pitter patter of the rain on the tin roof was the only noise in the world. It was eerily calming, but Naruto still couldn't stop shaking. He felt dizzy, as if just standing up required all the energy in the world.

"Woo hoo, did you fuck up!" came a voice. Naruto couldn't pin down what direction it seemed to come from, so he looked around the room to pin point whoever said it. The voice didn't seem unfamiliar, yet he couldn't place it.

"Who's there?" Naruto asked, scared. He continued to look around, expecting someone to pop out of the shadows.

"Don't worry about me, worry about yourself," the voice said. Naruto looked into the mirror that was hung on the wall opposite him and saw his reflection. Only, it wasn't his reflection. He looked different. He looked menacing.

His whisker-shaped scars were more defined, and his hair was more unruly than usual. His teeth seemed to be pointer, as did his nails. The one thing that made Naruto realize that the person in the mirror was not himself was the eyes – so full of hate and anger. They were dangerous eyes that made Naruto feel like he'd burst into flames for just looking at them.

"W-What's going on?" Naruto asked, not being able to tear his eyes away from the mirror.

"I think it's time for you to have a little vacation," said the reflection. Naruto backed away from the mirror, terrified that he was going crazy. He was hearing voices, seeing people, and – let's just face it – his last few months weren't a ringing endorsement for sanity.

"Y-You're not real," Naruto said, trying to convince myself. "You're just my conscience or something."

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you, Naruto?" the reflection said. "But I'm just as real as you are."

"You're not real," Naruto repeated. "I'm just…stressed. I'm going to close my eyes real tight, and when I open them, you'll be gone." Naruto squeezed his eyes as tight as possible and reopened them, dismayed to still see the reflection smirking at him.

"Didn't work, did it?" the reflection said. "I can't blame you for thinking I'm just a figment of your imagination. You have been letting it run wild recently."

"This isn't happening," Naruto said to himself. "I am not talking to a mirror."

"Sorry, kid, but you are," the reflection told him. "Now why don't you stop trying to convince yourself and just listen to me, huh?"

Naruto dumbly nodded, not knowing what else he could do. He could almost see his sanity slipping away with each passing second, and it terrified him.

"I exist to help you," the reflection said. "Think of me as an alternate personality. When things are too rough for you, you can take a little rest and I'll take over your life for a bit."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"You don't remember your life before the age of seven, do you?" the reflection asked. Naruto shook his head and the reflection smirked. "That's because when you were seven, your father killed your best friend. You couldn't deal with it, so I came out to protect you. Didn't you ever wonder how Kyuubi got that big scar across his forehead?"

"Y-You've been me?" Naruto asked. "This makes no sense."

"Of course it doesn't to you," the reflection said. "You just shot your friend because you thought he was your father. You're not exactly thinking clearly."

"I'm dreaming," Naruto decided. "That's it! I'm dreaming, and when I wake up, I'll be in my bed. I never shot Sasuke, and Kyuubi is dead. It's all just been some huge dream."

"Will you shut your trap and listen!" the reflection yelled. "I am taking over for you now. You can relax."

"I don't want you to 'take over'!" Naruto yelled. He looked back at the mirror and the image of himself was gone. Immediately afterwards, the splitting headache returned, and Naruto gripped his temples in pain. "Get out of my head!"

The voice of the reflection yelled back at him. "Just let me out, Naruto! I can take care of everything for you!"

"No!" Naruto yelled, picking up a brick from the cluttered table behind him and throwing at the mirror. The mirror shattered, causing the headache to intensify. Naruto struggled to keep control of his mind, but he felt consciousness slipping.

Then, all of a sudden, he was in a room. It was dark, and there was a staircase behind him. The man from the mirror was trapped inside a large prison cell in the room, and he had a key in his hand. He turned the key and opened up the cell door and stepped out.

"Where am I?" Naruto asked.

"This is your mind," the reflection said. "Now get in the cage so I can be free!"

"That doesn't look like a vacation to me," Naruto told the man.

"You need protection, and I can provide that for you," the man told him. "You just need to trust me."

"What's your name?" Naruto asked.

"You know my name," the man told him. "Just think about it."

"I have no idea," Naruto whispered.

"You created me to protect you when you were a kid," the man said. "You modeled me after the strongest and most intimidating person you knew so that I could take the strength and intimidation and use it to protect you." Naruto's eyes widened. "Now tell me, what is my name?"

"Kyuubi," Naruto whispered.

"Good," Kyuubi told him. "Now, you've already given me the key to get out. Just step aside and let me out."

"I never gave you any key!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Then how did I escape?" Kyuubi asked. "It might not have been a conscious decision, but you know you need this. You know you need a vacation from your life."

"I didn't mean to give you a key!" Naruto yelled. "Go away and let me live my life!"

"Sorry, Naruto, but giving me the key was entirely intentional. Not conscious, but intentional," Kyuubi said.

"You…you're not making any sense," Naruto said. "Go back!"

"Sorry, Naruto, but I've come too far to go back," Kyuubi said. "I haven't been out in years, and you haven't had a break in years. It's what's best for both of us."

Kyuubi shoved Naruto into the cell and closed the door, but Naruto continued to struggle. He didn't let Kyuubi pull the key out of the keyhole, and started to push the door open again.

"Stop fighting!" Kyuubi demanded.

"I won't let you out!" Naruto yelled. "I need to apologize to Sasuke!"

"Just let it happen," Kyuubi pleaded. "Let me out!"

"No!"

* * *

Kiba had found Naruto writhing on the floor in some warehouse on the south side of town just twenty minutes after the shooting.

His first thought upon seeing the blond was that he had been hurt. He didn't see any blood, but noticed the gun lying on the ground next to him. He looked around the room and saw it was a mess. There was a shattered mirror and a few overturned chairs.

Kiba kneeled down over Naruto and tried to shake him awake, to no avail. He put his fingers to Naruto's wrist to check for a pulse while putting his ear to his chest to check for breathing. When he felt the pulse and the up and down motion of Naruto's chest, he relaxed a bit. He pulled out his phone to call Inoichi, who instructed Kiba to bring Naruto to the hospital.

It was hard, but Kiba eventually got Naruto buckled into the passenger seat of his car and sped off towards the hospital. He knew a lot of people were already there with Sasuke – Ino, Sakura, Inoichi, Itachi, Neji, Hinata, Gaara, and a few of his friends from Hebi Academy. Finally, Kiba got to the hospital and got Naruto admitted.

* * *

Naruto's eyes fluttered open as he struggled to get used to the bright light in the room. It was a room he was unfamiliar with, as he had been there far too many times in recent history.

He looked around the room and saw his psychiatrist, Ino and Inoichi standing in the corner talking about something. Naruto opened his mouth to try to speak, but he wheezed instead, catching the attention of the other people in the room.

"Naruto!" Ino yelled, hugging her friend tightly. "I was so worried!"

"Ino, let Naruto have his space," Inoichi said. "How are you feeling?"

Naruto tried to speak again, but he couldn't…his throat was too dry. The doctor, realizing this, got a cup of water for Naruto and commanded him to drink.

"I'm tired," Naruto said. "What happened?"

"We were hoping you could tell us," the psychiatrist said. "Can you tell us the last thing you remember?"

"I was at school, talking to Ino," Naruto said. "She told me that she was hanging out with Sakura, Hinata and Tenten."

"You don't remember anything after that?" Ino asked, sounding worried. Inoichi and the psychiatrist exchanged a glance that Naruto didn't miss.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked. He tried to reposition himself to sit up when he realized that his arm wouldn't move. He looked and saw a metal handcuff connecting him to the hospital bed. "Why am I handcuffed here? What's going on?"

"You don't remember anything?" the psychiatrist asked.

"No," Naruto said, shaking his head, causing the psychiatrist to sigh. "Wait," Naruto said. He started to remember more…talking to Hinata, calling Ino…talking to _Sasuke_. Then he started to remember more, as if the floodgates had opened on his memory. He remembered the gun, the ride to the Uchiha mansion. He remembered shooting Sasuke, running away. He remembered... "Kyuubi," Naruto whispered.

"He's dead, Naruto," Ino said. "You know that, right?"

"I…I thought Sasuke was Kyuubi and I shot him," Naruto choked out. "How is he? Is he okay?"

"He's been in surgery all night," Inoichi said. "The police had no choice but to arrest you."

"Arrest me?" Naruto asked, pulling on the handcuffs. "How can they arrest me? I thought…"

"You had a problem," the psychiatrist interjected. "It's called Dissociative Reality Disorder. Your psyche protected itself by associating Sasuke with Kyuubi, altering your perception of reality."

"I'm crazy, aren't I?" Naruto asked.

"No," Inoichi said. "You're all better now that you know Sasuke isn't your father."

"No, I'm not," Naruto said. "After…after shooting Sasuke, something happened to me," Naruto said.

"What happened?" the psychiatrist said, sitting down. Naruto began to relay the events of what happened between him and 'Kyuubi' at the warehouse, emphasizing that the 'Kyuubi' he saw there wasn't the same as his father. Throughout the story, Ino kept looking at Naruto with concern, looks that did not go unnoticed by Naruto.

"I was afraid of this," the psychiatrist said.

"What's wrong?" Inoichi asked.

"Naruto has suffered already from Dissociative Gender Disorder and Dissociative Reality Disorder," the doctor said. "With patients who have one or more dissociative disorder, others are more likely to occur."

"So he has another disorder?" Inoichi asked.

"Yes," the doctor said. "But this one is substantially easier to treat, and it is nowhere near as much of a problem as the other two. It's called Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID. Basically, a person's psyche is fractured, and they create alternate personalities, or alters, to live their life for them. It basically grants them a rest from reality.

"These alters are legitimate personalities in their own right, often working to help the master personality recover. Many times, there is more than one personality, but only one can be released at a time. They usually stay out for large lengths of time.

"It sounds like Naruto patterned a personality after his father, even giving him the same name. In all likelihood, the chances are that Kyuubi's personality traits and characteristics resemble Naruto's father's."

"You said it's treatable?" Inoichi asked.

"Yes," the psychiatrist said. "With most cases, the patient is sent to a mental rehabilitation center to integrate his or her own personality with those of the alters. Naruto will come out still being him, along with some personality traits of his alter."

"So he'd need to go to a mental hospital?" Ino asked.

"If I do go, would I be better for good when I got out?" Naruto asked, not giving the doctor a chance to confirm Ino's question.

"In most cases, that is the extent of the DID," the doctor said. "In some cases, an especially stressful situation can cause the psyche to fracture again and cause the alter or alters to return, but it isn't as common. If that happens, the treatment would be the same."

"But what if his alter comes back out?" Inoichi asked. "How will we know?"

"Naruto seemed to be able to fight it off this time," the psychiatrist said. "We are at a slight disadvantage because we do not know how Kyuubi behaves, so if he comes out, it might not be as recognizable."

"It doesn't matter," Naruto said. "I need to do this, even if it might not work in the end."

Before anyone could respond, the door of the room burst open, revealing Sakura.

"Sasuke made it," she said. "He's alive."

* * *

A week later, Naruto was finally discharged from the hospital, but it didn't really matter; he had been taken immediately to jail. He and his lawyer had already decided to plead guilty to Sasuke's attempted murder by means of temporary insanity.

The judge would send Naruto to Konoha Mental Hospital to get treatment, and once Naruto was done with treatment, he'd be released. If all went right, he'd be able to attend Konoha University in the fall semester with his friends.

"You don't have to do this," Ino told Naruto as they stood in the hospital. The hearing was over and the judge had sentenced Naruto to KMH as the lawyer had said, but Naruto had one special request to ask of the judge – to be able to apologize to Sasuke in person.

Sasuke was still in the hospital after the shooting. He was actually getting very bored with it. He was constantly dealing with Karin and Suigetsu bickering. At least Jugo was quiet when he visited. Then there was Sakura, who had a tendency to talk his head off. Gaara and Neji visited, but they didn't really have much to say. It was as if the world stopped when Sasuke was shot.

Naruto softly knocked on the door and Ino rolled her eyes. "You know he won't hear that," she said. She took the initiative and knocked loudly on the door. She then opened the door and shoved Naruto through after getting the "come in" from Sasuke.

"Naruto," Sasuke said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. It wasn't said with any emotion – fear, joy, hate.

"S-Sasuke," Naruto choked out. He saw the IV in Sasuke's arm and the bandage on Sasuke's stomach. He thought he was going to start sobbing after seeing what he had done to another human being, let alone one who had done so much for him. "I am so, _so_ sorry, Sasuke."

"I know," Sasuke said. "Is there anything else you have to say?"

"No," Naruto mumbled, sounding depressed. "I guess I'll just let you rest." Naruto turned to leave but stopped when he heard Sasuke's voice.

"For the record, I'm sorry too," Sasuke said. Naruto froze in place.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Naruto asked.

"Just go," Sasuke ordered. "I'm tired." With those words, Sasuke closed his eyes to rest and Naruto opened the door and left. He and Ino walked outside holding hands. When they finally got out front and Naruto was expected to go into the police car for transport to Konoha Mental Hospital, Naruto turned and gave Ino a big hug.

"You'll be out of there soon," Ino said, trying to reassure the blond.

"I know," Naruto said, hugging her tighter before releasing her.

* * *

Sasuke remained quiet the rest of the day. He didn't say a single word to Itachi or Sakura or Gaara or Karin when they each visited him. He didn't make any remarks when the doctors and nurses came in to check on him. He was totally and utterly silent until that night, after the lights went out and he was all alone.

"I'm sorry we couldn't have been more."

**Please Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	11. Gaara Interlude

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or Sasuke, or Sakura, or Ino, or Shikamaru, or…well, you get the picture.**

**This is one of four eventual chapters that take a break from the main story to focus on a minor character. Later in the fic, the side stories become much more prevalent, but for now they are mostly limited. This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Eleven: Gaara (Interlude)

Sasuke was more than happy to be out of the hospital. It had been three weeks since he'd been shot and he really hated his room. There was just so long he could stand to look at those same four walls.

When he was first released from the hospital, he had Suigetsu bring him to the Hoshigake mansion, opting to remain away from his overprotective brother. When he was in the hospital, Sasuke was constantly watched by Itachi, who felt guilty about not being there when his brother was shot. Unfortunately, Itachi was _at_ Suigetsu's house with Kisame when the two high schoolers walked through the door.

Being out of the hospital was, without a doubt, much better than being in there. He was constantly monitored by doctors or Itachi, and in the few instances when neither was there, Karin was there, still stalking him like a psychopath. At least he was well enough that he could tell the whole lot of them to fuck off and remain alone in peace.

"…and then Hinata told me that…are you even listening to me?"

Sasuke returned to the present, giving Gaara an apologetic look for spacing out. It was the first time he'd seen the redhead since he got out, and Gaara was recounting some story about the prom with Hinata.

Apparently, even though she planned on going to the prom with Naruto, she ended up going with Gaara as friends, as Naruto was still locked up in the loony bin when prom rolled around.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Sasuke asked.

"Hinata told me that Naruto's doctors think that you should visit him," Gaara said. "She said something about having to face what he did."

"Naruto already saw me," Sasuke said. "He apologized."

"Well, what did you say?" Gaara asked.

"I told him I knew he was sorry," Sasuke said. "I don't think there's much left to say."

"I think that there's a lot left to say," Gaara said. "It's just that you don't want to say it."

"And Naruto doesn't want to hear it," Sasuke said. "Besides, he's out of my life now. By the time he gets out, I will have graduated and I probably won't ever see him again."

"Unless he enrolls in Konoha University," Gaara pointed out. "About half of the kids in our school end up going there."

"Hn, whatever," Sasuke muttered.

"Anyway, Sakura wanted me to ask you if you wanted to hang out tonight with us and Kiba," Gaara said.

"Kiba?" Sasuke asked with a smirk. "I think I'll pass. Besides, I'm going over to Suigetsu's house tonight."

"What's going on between you and Suigetsu?" Gaara asked. "Granted, it's probably more fun than watching Sakura model clothes in front of two other gays, but you seem to be going there an awful lot."

"He and I are friends," Sasuke said with a shrug. Gaara rolled his eyes, as his BS meter was going off the charts. "Okay, so we're friends with benefits," Sasuke said. "It's distracting me from Naruto, and it's convenient."

"Now I have to tell Sakura," Gaara said. "She'll be so disappointed that you've moved on. I wonder how the rest of the SasuNaru fan club will react."

Sasuke snorted. "They'd probably light Suigetsu's house on fire and try to kill him in his sleep," he said, standing up. "Anyway, I'll talk to you later." He left Gaara's house and drove towards Suigetsu's. It was nice to have a distraction in life, and Suigetsu was just that for him – a distraction.

* * *

Later that day, Gaara sat outside the changing rooms in American Apparel with Kiba as they waited for Sakura to emerge wearing whatever she had picked off the racks this time. Finally, after what seemed like hours of waiting but was probably only a few minutes, she emerged in a red, pink and white mini skirt with a purple top that was covered in sequins.

"Well, what do you think?" Sakura asked, twirling around to give the boys a better view.

"Meh," Gaara said, prompting Sakura to glare at him. She then looked at Kiba expectantly.

"I guess it's good," Kiba said with a shrug.

"You two are the worst gay guys I've ever met!" Sakura huffed. "You're both fashion-retarded."

"Sorry we aren't the stereotypes you want," Gaara said, his arms crossed as he yawned. "When you asked me to hang out, I assumed we'd be doing something we _all_ wanted to do."

"Just a few more outfits, Gaara," Sakura said with her bottom lip trembling. Gaara rolled his eyes at her 'cutesy face' and she smiled before going back to the rack and picking a few more outfits to try on."

When she went back in the changing room, Kiba stood up and stretched his arms.

"I don't know about you, but I'm out of here," Kiba said.

"You just want to ditch her?" Gaara asked incredulously. It was then that he was reminded of how Sakura constantly dragged him to stores to try on clothes in front of him. "I'm in." He hopped up and walked with Kiba towards the food court after deciding that she'd find them eventually.

Gaara got a salad from Wendy's while Kiba got two slices of pizza from Sbarro's. They sat down at a four person table, expecting Sakura to join them eventually.

"So if you're not into sports and all the manly stuff and you're not into fashion and all the girls stuff, what are you into?" Kiba asked as they sat down. "Tell me you're not one of those computer nerds."

"I don't do hobbies," Gaara said.

"C'mon, there's gotta be something," Kiba said. "What do you do when you're not hanging out with someone?"

"Reading," Gaara said. "Sometimes I'll go out by myself."

"And what do you do?" Kiba asked.

"I watch people," Gaara said. Kiba gave him a face that was a mixture of confusion and fear. He seemed slightly creeped out as well. "I just sit back and observe the random people around me."

"What do you mean?" Kiba asked. Gaara stood up and brought his plate around so he was sitting next to Kiba instead of across from him. He subtly pointed to a girl who was sitting with a guy nearby.

"You see those people?" Gaara asked. Kiba nodded in response. "She's bulimic because she feels a need to be skinny in order to be on the cheerleading squad. She's on a first date with the guy, and he doesn't know about her eating disorder. She was also in an abusive relationship."

"How do you know that?" Kiba asked, doubting every word Gaara said.

"I know she's bulimic because she is extremely skinny, but she has a large meal in front of her," Gaara began. You can also see that she is wearing a sweatshirt even though it's June, meaning that she must be even skinnier underneath. She must be on the cheerleading squad because she has slightly muscular legs. She can't be on a track team or anything because they don't emphasize thinness, they emphasize muscle.

"I know she's on a first date with him because of her mannerisms. She's acting timid, as if she doesn't know him well. At the same time, he's talking a lot. If they were in a relationship, there wouldn't be as much to talk about and the conversation would be much more even. You can tell she was in an abusive relationship because of some of her other mannerisms. She recoiled when he tried to touch her, and she is keeping her distance from him without being obvious."

"How do you do that?" Kiba asked.

"A well trained eye," Gaara said.

"Do me next!" Kiba said turning to face Gaara, who rolled his eyes.

"We're eating together," Gaara said. "I wouldn't be able to do anything because you know you're actions are being scrutinized."

"Oh," Kiba said. "Well then, do someone else." Gaara rolled his eyes again and looked around the room.

"You see those two?" Gaara asked, pointing to another couple. This time, it was a slightly overweight woman with a much older man. "She was under house arrest, and they are married. He's rich and she's using him for his money. She's cheating on him, probably with a woman."

"I don't think I even want to know how you know that," Kiba said.

"She has a tan, but there are serious tan lines on her ankles in the shape of some large anklet, too large to be a piece of jewelry. That tells me that she had an ankle monitor, and was therefore under house arrest. He obviously used his money to get her out."

"How do you know he has money?" Kiba asked.

"Don't interrupt me," Gaara said. "If you look at their clothes, she looks like she buys her clothes at K-Mart or Target, but he is wearing a hand tailored suit. He obviously has big bucks. That's why she's eating so much – she doesn't have to pay for it. I know that she's married to him because she doesn't have a wedding ring, but she has tan lines that indicate she usually wears one. She probably left it at her lover's house accidentally."

"How do you know she's not cheating on her husband with this guy and that's why the wedding ring is gone?" Kiba asked.

"She's purposely hiding the hand from him as inconspicuously as possible," Gaara said. "Also, she's in too public a place to be cheating on her husband."

"But if she's with a rich guy, why is she wearing cheap clothing?" Kiba asked.

"The clothing looks old and worn out," Gaara said. "It's probably just casual wear for her, as is the suit for him. He seems like a business executive or a lawyer, explaining the need for a suit. She's obviously using him for his money or else she wouldn't be cheating on him."

"And why do you think it's with a woman?" Kiba asked.

"Look closely at the collar of her shirt," Gaara said. Kiba looked at the woman, trying not to look like he was staring. He saw there was a very light, faded lipstick mark on the collar, barely noticeable if you weren't looking for it.

"Oh," he said. "You're good."

"Of course I am," Gaara said.

"One more," Kiba said. Gaara gave him a stern look that said 'no'. "Please?" Gaara sighed and looked around the room again.

"Oh god," Gaara said upon laying his eyes upon a familiar face.

"What?" Kiba asked, looking in the direction Gaara was. "Who's that who's coming over to our table?"

"Yukio," Gaara said. "He has this big crush on me and he's been trying to get me to agree to a date with him for months."

As Gaara finished his sentence, Yukio made his way to the table and sat across from Gaara.

"Hey, Gaara," he said. "How's it going?"

Yukio was not unattractive. Like many people in Konoha, he had an unnatural hair color, navy blue. His eyes were a shade of purple that really brought his look full circle. Like Gaara, he was pale, but not in a bad way. He had two piercings on each ear and the tips of a tattoo wrapped around his neck.

"Can you please leave me alone," Gaara said. "I don't want to go out with you."

"Come on!" Yukio protested. "Give me a chance!"

"No," Gaara said. "Any chance you might have had was squashed when you decided to start stalking me."

"I'm not stalking you," Yukio said. "I'm just being nice. Besides, I go after what I want. I'm sure you'll like that about me."

"Leave him alone," Kiba said, breaking the silence he fell into upon the blue haired boy's arrival.

"Who are you?" Yukio asked with a tone that sounded as if Kiba was intruding on Yukio's moment with the redhead.

"I'm Gaara's boyfriend," Kiba said, shocking both teens at the table. Yukio's expression was much more visible than Gaara's, who hid his shock, understanding what Kiba was playing at.

"No you're not," Yukio said. "If you were his boyfriend, Gaara would have told me when I first walked over."

"Well it's true," Gaara said, draping his arm over Kiba's shoulder.

"If you two were on a date, you'd be at a table for two and you'd be across from each other," Yukio said, bored with the conversation.

"Why is everyone so extra observant?" Kiba asked.

"It's not that we're extra observant, Kiba," Gaara said. "It's just that you can be sort of oblivious." He then turned to Yukio. "We _are_ going out, and I have no need to explain my relationship with Kiba to you."

"If you're really going out, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't want to prove it to me," Yukio said. "Why don't you kiss him, Gaara?"

Gaara glared at the blue-haired boy and shook his head. "Did you not hear a word I just said? I don't need to justify my relationship with Kiba to you."

"I just don't get-" Yukio began, but was interrupted by Kiba.

"Oh, for god's sake!" With that exclamation, he pulled Gaara's face to his own and captured Gaara's mouth in a kiss. Gaara froze for a moment, shocked by Kiba's initiative. After a moment, however, he remembered that this kiss was being scrutinized by Yukio and so he returned the kiss.

Kiba knew Yukio was still standing there, so he decided to deepen the kiss to send him away. He licked Gaara's lower lip, asking for entrance into the warm cavern that was Gaara's mouth. Gaara complied, taking control of the kiss and showing Yukio that he really was into it.

Yukio couldn't stand to watch the person he'd liked for months kiss another guy so willingly, so he just stormed off in the direction he came from. Neither Gaara nor Kiba noticed, however, as they were losing themselves in the kiss.

After about a minute of kissing, they pulled away, trying not to look into each other's eyes.

"What was that?" Gaara asked Kiba, who shrugged.

"He was giving you a hard time and he was pissing me off, so I decided to shut him up," Kiba reasoned. "Besides, I like Naruto, so it's not like it really meant anything."

"I don't understand," Gaara said. "Why does everyone have a thing for Naruto? First Hinata, then Sasuke, and now you. I mean, sure he's attractive, but I honestly don't get what makes you all so crazy over him."

"I don't want to talk about Sasuke," Kiba said.

"Well, that's too bad, because he's going to win Naruto's heart," Gaara said. Kiba gave him an inquisitive look, to which Gaara rolled his eyes.

"Before Naruto was raped, I saw him and Sasuke kissing, and I analyzed Naruto just like I did to Ms. Bulemic-Cheerleader and Mrs. Gold-Digging-Lesbian-Adulteress," Gaara said. "I called the fact that Naruto had an abusive father who would not be accepting of his homosexuality. Unfortunately, when we found out I was right, the situation didn't call for 'I told you sos'."

"So Sasuke kissed him," Kiba said. "That doesn't mean anything."

"Naruto kissed him back," Gaara said. "That means he has an attraction to him. Not to mention the fact that Sasuke proved during the whole 'Naruto-is-a-girl' debacle that he can be a dependable boyfriend."

"I've proven that our whole friendship!" Kiba argued.

"But that's just it!" Gaara said. "Naruto sees you as a _friend_. You're stuck in the Friend Zone, and he won't risk your friendship by pursuing a relationship with you."

"You're telling me the only advantage Sasuke has over me is that he's _not_ Naruto's friend?" Kiba asked.

"How many stories have you heard of childhood friends who ended up together?" Gaara asked.

"I've heard of tons of them!" Kiba exclaimed triumphantly.

"And how many of those relationships didn't end up in divorce or a break up?" Gaara asked. Kiba remained silent. "I don't want to hurt your feelings, but the sooner you accept the fact that Naruto won't end up with you, the better. When he gets out of Konoha Mental Hospital, he'll be forced to deal with his sexuality like he did before the rape. But no matter what the outcome is – whether he ends up with Sasuke or not – he doesn't see you as a viable romantic possibility."

Kiba stayed silent, looking forward. If he learned anything in the past hour, it was not to question Gaara's observations. And rationally, he knew that what Gaara said all made sense. But he didn't like what he said, and he'd prove Gaara wrong if he had anything to say about it.

"You're just jealous," Kiba said. "You don't want me with Naruto because you want to be with me."

"What?" Gaara asked. "Do you hear yourself?"

"You seemed really into that kiss," Kiba said. "You just can't stand that I want to be with Naruto, so you're trying to make me forget my feelings for him."

Gaara closed his eyes and counted to three, trying to make his anger dissipate.

"You just can't stand that Naruto and I actually do have a chance," Kiba continued. "You're doing to me just what Yukio was doing to you. There's no chance that we'll end up together, Gaara."

Gaara realized in that moment that he failed to let go of his anger. He picked up his half filled water bottle and dumped it over Kiba's head. He then calmly put the cap on the water and threw it into the nearby trash bin.

"What the fuck!" Kiba shouted, attracting a lot of attention.

"Sorry, I'm not attracted to wet dogs," Gaara said before walking away. As he walked from the food court, he ran into Sakura.

"Gaara!" she exclaimed angrily. "You and Kiba ditched me! Where is he?"

"He's at the food court," Gaara said. "And I'm going home."

"What happened?" Sakura asked, her anger gone.

"Let's just say that Kiba might not want to hang out with me again," Gaara said. With that, Gaara left the mall and went back home.

* * *

"_So you just dumped the water over his head?"_ Sasuke asked over the phone.

"What can I say? I had a moment of inspiration," Gaara replied.

"_So you actually kissed dog-breath?"_ Sasuke asked. _"I get that it was to get rid of Yukio, but really? _Kiba_?"_

"He kissed me," Gaara defended. "He's actually not that bad a kisser. Better than you."

"_I'm sure,"_ Sasuke said sarcastically. _"I wouldn't start hanging out with him too much if I were you, though."_

"I get you don't like him, but I can make my own choices," Gaara said.

"_When Kiba comes to the realization that Naruto won't be with him, he'll be very sad,"_ said Sasuke. _"And if you two become too chummy, he might just try to use you to get over him."_

"Like you're doing to Suigetsu?" Gaara asked, smirking.

"_Exactly," Sasuke said. "Only Suigetsu is nowhere near as annoying as that pea-brain is."_

"Whatever," Gaara said. "I have no intention of sleeping with Kiba."

"_Good_," Sasuke said. "_I have to go, but I'll talk to you tomorrow_."

"See ya," Gaara said before hanging up the phone.

* * *

_AkamaruKiba: hey gaara, u there?_

_ShukakuJinchuriki1: Sorry, I'm too busy bowing down to the shrine I have of you in my closet to talk right now._

_AkamaruKiba: im serius, i wanted to say im sorry_

_ShukakuJinchuriki1: So you admit that your ego and your obsession over your best friend got the better of you and that I'm not fixated on you?_

_AkamaruKiba: i wouldnt say im obsessed with naruto_

_AkamaruKiba: anyway, i thought about wat u said and i think ur right…naruto will never love me back_

_ShukakuJinchuriki1: Oh, so there _is_ some sense in that thick head of yours?_

_AkamaruKiba: if ur gonna be a sarcastic asshole, then forget i apologized!_

_ShukakuJinchuriki1: Fine, I'm sorry. But you do deserve it. You were a bit of a bitch today._

_AkamaruKiba: IM the bitch?1? u poured WATER ALL OVER ME!1!111!1!_

_ShukakuJinchuriki1: And you deserved every drop of it. I won't apologize for that._

_AkamaruKiba: fine, were even?_

_ShukakuJinchuriki1: We're even._

_AkamaruKiba: sakura was pretty pissed when i told her y u left_

_ShukakuJinchuriki1: Good…did she tell you to apologize?_

_AkamaruKiba: nah i did this myself_

_ShukakuJinchuriki1: You think for yourself, too! This is a big day for you!_

_AkamaruKiba: stfu_

_AkamaruKiba has ended this chat._

* * *

Sasuke stood outside Konoha Mental Hospital trying to gather his courage. Ino, Inoichi, Sakura and Hinata have all told him that Naruto's doctors thought seeing him would be productive to his recovery, so Sasuke decided to visit him. But standing outside the hospital made Sasuke second guess himself.

It had been weeks since he had last seen Naruto and he came to terms with the fact that he wouldn't end up with the blond, but his feelings never diminished. Whenever he slept with Suigetsu, he'd think of the blond, and he'd wish that he was in Naruto's bed instead. Now he was going to have to confront his feelings again, and he had no idea if he would be helping Naruto's recovery or stunting it.

"You can do this," he told himself. He began walking towards the door and he opened it slowly. He signed in at the visitors desk and sat down, waiting for Naruto's doctor.

Eventually, Dr. Haruku made an appearance and thanked Sasuke for showing up. "We're going to go to my office to wait for Naruto."

"Your office?" Sasuke asked. "Are you going to be there?"

Dr. Haruku nodded. "I asked your friends to tell you that a therapy session with Naruto would be productive. Isn't that why you're here?"

"Therapy session?" Sasuke asked. "I thought I was just supposed to visit."

"If you want to just talk to Naruto, that's fine," Dr. Haruku said. "It would just be better if I was there."

"Why? Do you think he's dangerous?" Sasuke asked.

"Not at all," the doctor said. "It's just that he has a tendency to beat around the bush and not confront his feelings. If I could direct and guide him, it would be more productive."

"I think we'll both feel more comfortable without a third person in the room," Sasuke said. "No offense," he added as an afterthought.

"None taken," the psychiatrist said.

Sasuke stepped into the visiting room and waited as the Dr. Huruku went to retrieve Naruto. They entered the room again minutes later. After seeing Naruto to the visiting room, the doctor left the two teenagers alone.

"So…" Naruto said. "What are you doing here?"

"Dr. Haruku thought you'd like to see me," Sasuke said.

"How are you doing?" Naruto asked suddenly. "How's your stomach?"

"It's fine," Sasuke said. "The doctors did a good job patching me up, and there's barely a scar."

"Can…Can I see it?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded and stood up, moving his chair over next to Naruto. He sat back down and lifter his shirt, pointing to the sall, thin white scar on his abdomen. "I…I'm so sorry," Naruto said.

He paused before proposing another question. "Why did you tell me you were sorry when I visited you at the hospital?" Sasuke shook his head.

"It's not important," he said.

"I need to know," Naruto said. "It's been bothering me."

"I have a lot to apologize for," Sasuke said. "I'm the reason your father raped you in the first place."

"That wasn't your fault," Naruto said. "Kyuubi was a sick, sadistic bastard."

"I'm sorry I took your virginity," Sasuke said in a whisper.

"You did what you had to do," Naruto said, his voice lowering to the same level Sasuke's was at.

"I kissed you," Sasuke said, looking at Naruto's full lips. "When you thought I was Kyuubi, I kissed you. And it freaked you out. I'm sorry for that."

"I…I needed that," Naruto whispered.

"I'm sorry I'm about to do it again," Sasuke said, closing the distance between him and the blond. Naruto's eyes fluttered closed and he instinctively opened his mouth for Sasuke. Sasuke, taking the cue from the blond, questioningly pushed his tongue inside Naruto's mouth.

He kissed Naruto with less fervor and more apprehension than he did that night at the Uchiha mansion. Naruto didn't realize that he was actually kissing Sasuke and that it should feel wrong. He couldn't tell what it was, but he felt so comfortable kissing the raven.

Then, suddenly, it clicked. He was kissing Sasuke. This had been the third time he and Sasuke had kissed while he was in his right mind. He jumped away from Sasuke, wiping his mouth.

"What was that!" Naruto exclaimed, causing Sasuke to wince.

"I…I'm sorry," Sasuke said. "I just couldn't help myself."

"Why not?" Naruto said. "You owe me nothing anymore. You don't have to pretend to be my boyfriend anymore, so you don't have to kiss me anymore."

"I didn't kiss you because I thought you expected it," Sasuke said.

"Then why'd you kiss me?" Naruto asked.

"Because I wanted to!" Sasuke yelled. "Is it really hard for you to figure out?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"I…I'm in love with you Naruto," Sasuke said, causing Naruto's eyes to go comically wide. "I've known ever since I switched schools."

Naruto didn't react at all, nor did he look Sasuke in the eye. After a few seconds of tense silence, Naruto spoke up. "I'm straight, you know. Hinata's been by, and we agreed to go out on a date because I couldn't make it to the prom."

"Oh," Sasuke said, feeling pathetic. "So are you two…together?"

"Yeah, I think so," Naruto said. "I…I'm sorry."

Sasuke shook his head. "You don't need to be sorry, Naruto. This isn't your problem."

"I…I feel like I led you on before," Naruto said. "I tried to seduce you so many times, I can't imagine how hard it was for you."

"It wasn't that bad," Sasuke said, blatantly lying. "Not being able to see you was worse."

"I…I don't know how to respond," Naruto said. "Damn! First Kiba, now you! What? Does Gaara love me too?"

Sasuke chuckled. "No, he doesn't have any romantic inclinations towards you whatsoever."

"That's good," Naruto said.

"I think I should go," Sasuke said, getting up.

"Wait, Sasuke," Naruto said. Sasuke stopped and turned to the blond. "I'm sorry that I can't love you back."

"I'm sorry too," Sasuke said. "And for your information, that's exactly why I said I was sorry in my hospital room." He turned back around and walked right out of the visiting room, not looking back.

**Please Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	12. Roommates

**Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure that the fact that I'm posting on FANFICTIONdotnet clearly tells you that I am not Masashi Kishimoto and I do not in any way, shape or form own Naruto. *cries***

**This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Twelve: Roommates

Sasuke sat at the café at Konoha University on Tuesday sipping his coffee. Sasuke liked his coffee the way he liked his hair: black. He glanced up from his book to the door, waiting to see someone enter. After a few minutes, he pulled out his phone ready to call the person he was waiting for. When he opened his phone, however, he saw two missed calls and a text.

_Suigetsu: Sorry I'm late! I'll be there in a few…tons of traffic_

Sasuke sighed and went to take another sip of his coffee before realizing it was empty. After discovering this, he sighed again. He glanced back at his phone to see what time it was._'10:07,' _Sasuke thought. _'At least he's only seven minutes late this time.'_

In the last six months Sasuke had been friends with Suigetsu, he had realized that the blueish-haired boy was frequently late. It was one of the few things about Suigetsu that he really hated. It was pretty bothersome.

Finally, after another four minutes, Suigetsu sauntered into the café and sat down with Sasuke, profusely apologizing.

"What's the excuse this time?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.

"My alarm clock didn't go off," Suigetsu said sheepishly. Sasuke rolled his eyes. "So what's up?" Suigetsu asked.

"I'm all moved in," Sasuke said. "How about you?"

"Well, my stuff is there, but I haven't really unpacked much," Suigetsu said. "I mean, classes don't really start until tomorrow, so I have time. Have you met your roommate yet?" Suigetsu asked.

"Nope," Sasuke said. "I don't really care who it is, as long as he's not messy or annoying. Who's your roommate?"

"I don't know," Suigetsu said with a shrug. "All I know is that when I got there, his things were all already unpacked. He seems like a real neat freak."

"What's your schedule like?" Sasuke asked. Suigetsu took out a piece of paper and tossed it across the table at the raven. "We have calculus and bio together. I have English Comp I when you have US History in World Context, and you have Macroeconomics when I have Sociology."

"Not bad," Suigetsu said, comparing the schedules in his mind. "That means we have the same times off."

"We have time off now," Sasuke said with a smirk. "Why don't we go back to my dorm room and have some fun."

Suigetsu scoffed. "With your luck, your roommate would walk in while we were together. Talk about a bad first impression. Besides…" he said, trailing off.

"Besides what?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't really think we should continue sleeping together," Suigetsu said. He had been trying to work up the courage to tell this to the Uchiha for days now, but it had never seemed like the right time.

"Why not?" Sasuke asked, feeling strange that he was slightly disappointed. "I've been having fun, and so have you."

"I just don't think I can keep up with it," Suigetsu said. "I mean, the sex is great, but I want a little more than that, and I know you can't give it to me, so I'll just have to look elsewhere for that."

"Wait," Sasuke said, not understanding the other teen. "You're starting off college by trying to look for a romantic relationship? That's wrong on so many levels. You should just concern yourself with having fun. There'll always be time for the lovey-dovey stuff later."

"I'm just kind of looking for more of a commitment than just a good fuck every couple of nights," Suigetsu said.

Sasuke felt somewhat conflicted. Since he and Suigetsu started casually fucking a few months ago, he grew somewhat attached to him. He knew he didn't have any real romantic feelings towards him, but he owed a great deal to Suigetsu. Suigetsu helped him ease the pain of losing Naruto, and he didn't want to let that go.

Sasuke was still so in love with Naruto, but it didn't hurt much anymore. Whenever he would get to thinking about the blond or start to get sad, he'd call Suigetsu and get distracted. If he really let Suigetsu go, then he'd have nothing to anchor him to the real world anymore.

But it's not like Sasuke was purely selfish in that. He was friends with Suigetsu at the same time, and the two had become even better friends once they started hooking up. Sasuke connected to Suigetsu in a way he couldn't connect to Sakura, Hinata, Neji or even Gaara anymore. They all knew a different side of Sasuke. And whenever he thought of them, he thought of Naruto.

He couldn't hang out with any of them without Naruto or one of his friends coming up in conversation. Any time that the topic of conversation drifted back to Konoha High and any of the students who attended, Sasuke would immediately be reminded of the blond, and he'd get depressed. On the other hand, Suigetsu never knew Naruto and didn't care about him. Where Gaara, Sakura, Hinata and Neji reminded him of Naruto, Suigetsu distracted him. Jugo and Karin had left Konoha for college instead of going to Konoha University as well, which left Suigetsu as his only friend to help him forget.

"I don't see why this is a problem all of a sudden," Sasuke said. "I mean, it's not like you have anyone else at the moment. We can keep going until you're with someone."

Suigetsu shook his head. "Listen Sasuke, you're a great guy, but I really don't think I can be with you without getting too attached, and that's the last thing you want."

"Does Suigetsu have a widdle cwush on me?" Sasuke mocked. "C'mon, don't be a girl about this."

"You don't get to mock me about feelings when we both know that the only reason you call me in the first place is because of your pathetic attachment to that psychopath who shot you," Suigetsu whispered harshly, immediately regretting his words afterward. He sighed. "I'm sorry," he said. "But you don't get to hold me to a higher standard than you hold yourself. You fell in love with Naruto by just _pretending_ to be his boyfriend. We've spent almost the entire summer together – half the time in bed – so don't tell me that all of a sudden people aren't allowed to grow feelings!"

"Touché," Sasuke said, falling quiet at Suigetsu's admission. So it seemed the teen really _did_ have feelings for Sasuke.

"Listen, Sasuke," Suigetsu said. "I'm not an overly dramatic drama queen. I'm not in love with you by any stretch of the imagination. But if we keep going on like this, I can't promise that won't change. I mean, even though we've just had a casual relationship, we've practically been dating without all the 'lovey-dovey' stuff."

"No we haven't," Sasuke said.

"Really?" Suigetsu asked. "How many other people have you gone out with since we started fucking? How many other people have you slept with? Who else have you spent extended amounts of time with? We've been pretty exclusively involved with each other for months, and if it keeps going, people will just assume we're together. Nobody will see us as single."

"I see," Sasuke said, frowning. He hadn't thought of it that way. But in a weird sense, it wasn't a problem for him. He wasn't looking for a relationship, but it seemed like he was practically in one with Suigetsu.

Sasuke thought about it and he realized that that was exactly his problem – he wasn't in a relationship, which prevented him from really moving on from Naruto. If he wanted to stop hurting any time he thought of the blond, he'd have to replace him in his heart by finding someone else. He needed to emotionally connect with someone else in the same way that he connected with Naruto, and then he'd be fine.

His one problem was one that had been plagued with forever. With the exception of Naruto, he really hadn't ever emotionally connected with someone like that. He'd never found someone attractive enough to be with that really interested him at all.

"I'm glad you see it my way," Suigetsu said. "But we're still friends. I mean, just because we've fucked doesn't mean it has to be awkward between –"

"Why don't we go out this Friday," Sasuke said, interrupting Suigetsu. The other boy looked at Sasuke like he had four heads.

"Like on a date?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," Sasuke said. "I mean, we might as well try it."

"Are you serious?" Suigetsu asked. He didn't ask it like he was hopeful, though. He asked it like he was astounded at the suggestion of it. "Since when have you _ever_ shown any romantic interest in me whatsoever?"

"Since about twelve seconds ago," Sasuke said. "So what do you say?"

"No," Suigetsu said. "You're too much baggage, especially considering you're head over heels for someone already."

"You might as well close one door completely before opening a window," Sasuke said. "What's it going to hurt?"

Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said. "But really, you don't have to pretend to like me just to get in my pants. I'm sure you could find many other willing fuckbuddies here."

"Hey, I asked you out because I wanted to," Sasuke said. "We'll go out on Friday and then we'll see how we stand from there."

"Fine," Suigetsu said, standing up. "I guess I'll see you at Calculus tomorrow." He walked out of the café, leaving Sasuke hopeful that he might have just figured out how to end his sick obsession with Naruto.

* * *

Naruto put down his suitcases outside the door of his dorm to pull out his key. He pushed the door open and picked his suitcases back up to enter the room. His friend Kiba followed behind him, carrying two bags as well. Finally, Ino came in last with Naruto's final bag. They all dropped the stuff and looked around Naruto's dorm room.

The first thing they noticed was that Naruto's roommate was already unpacked, and from the looks of it, he was a neat freak. Naruto briefly studied the contents on his roommates' side of the room and noted that it seemed familiar, but he shrugged it off.

"Alright," Naruto said. "Now let's go to your room, Kiba, an unpack you."

"Wait a sec," Ino said. "Why don't we unpack you first, Naruto."

"C'mon," he whined. "I'll do that later." Ino sent him a look that told him that they would be unpacking Naruto's stuff before moving on and there would be no arguing. Naruto sighed and resigned himself to it.

He'd only been out of Konoha Mental Hospital for two days, but he felt so much better. His multiple personalities had been fully integrated, and he felt better than he had since before his rape. He had already hung out with everyone in the last two days. His only regret was that he had lost his summer due to his hospitalization.

The three started unzipping bags and unpacking Naruto's stuff. Naruto dealt with putting his clothes away in the bureau and closet, while Ino focused on making the bed. Kiba had just been unpacking all of Naruto's other stuff and putting it on the desk in the room. The three had decided to go around to each of their rooms and unpack for each other to get the moving in process done faster.

"Why did you bring some of this stuff?" Kiba asked as he pulled out some of the most random stuff out of the bags.

"I just brought everything," Naruto said. "I plan on recreating my room exactly the way it was…sort of."

"Where do you want this then?" Kiba asked, raising a stuffed animal of a fox. Naruto turned around to see what he was talking about and his eyes went wide.

"Just put it somewhere," Naruto mumbled, turning back to his clothes. Ino and Kiba both gave each other questioning looks.

Naruto had been like that since he'd been in the hospital. Every now and then, a subject would come up and Naruto would just withdraw. They had worried about it, but they didn't want to push him.

Neither of them had connected why Naruto would sometimes grow quiet. The stuffed animal was given to him by Sasuke at a carnival when he thought he was a girl. Any time he was reminded of the raven, he would grow distant while remembering their last encounter.

"_What was that!" Naruto exclaimed loudly after pulling away from the kiss, causing Sasuke to wince._

"_I…I'm sorry," Sasuke said. "I just couldn't help myself."_

"_Why not?" Naruto said. "You don't owe me anything anymore. You don't have to pretend to be my boyfriend anymore, so you don't have to kiss me anymore."_

"_I didn't kiss you because I thought you expected it or wanted it," Sasuke said._

"_Then why'd you kiss me?" Naruto asked._

"_Because I wanted to!" Sasuke yelled. "Is it really hard for you to figure out?"_

"_What do you mean?" Naruto asked._

"_I…I'm in love with you Naruto."_

The last line played in his head over and over again. It didn't make sense, even though he understood it. He thought back to when Sasuke first kissed him.

"_What the _fuck_ was that?" Sasuke asked after they left the school. Naruto had just saved Sasuke's ass, but he didn't know why. The stupid asshole was blackmailing him, after all._

"_I don't know," he said with a shrug. "I guess your brother was trying to embarrass you. It's a good thing Uchiha's don't get embarrassed like you said the other day, ne, Sasuke?"_

"_What was that part about my ass being yours?" Sasuke asked, causing Naruto to hold back a snigger._

"_Well, if everyone else was having fun at your expense, I didn't see why I couldn't join in," he said with a shrug._

"_That wasn't part of the deal," I said._

"_Well, I should get to have some fun in this…whatever it is," he said, motioning his hands in the air._

"_If you get to have fun, then so should I," Sasuke said, pulling Naruto into him. Their lips met and Naruto instinctively tried to pull back, but the Uchiha wouldn't let him._

It was like it was always there…some sort of attraction on Sasuke's part.

Naruto was struck by another memory. This time it was when he had thought he was Sasuke's girlfriend. He'd had a nightmare about the rape and had called Sasuke. Sasuke raced over to his house and stayed the night with Naruto the make sure that he was okay.

Ino and Kiba noticed that Naruto had stopped working and was now staring into space.

"Naruto?" Ino asked, breaking him from his thoughts. "Are you okay?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"What were you thinking about?" Kiba asked. "It seemed to be bothering you."

"It's nothing important," Naruto said.

"C'mon, you can tell us," Ino said.

"We're your best friends," Kiba said. Naruto smiled to himself and decided that he could trust the two of them not to spread it around.

"Fine, but you can't tell anyone else," Naruto said.

"Fine," they both said at the same time.

Naruto crossed the room and sat down next to Ino on the newly made bed. Kiba took a seat in the desk chair on the other side of Naruto.

"When I was in the hospital, Sasuke came to see me," Naruto said. At the mention of the raven-haired boy, Kiba scowled, but Naruto didn't notice. "He apologized to me for a bunch of things, and then…he kissed me."

"He _WHAT!_" Kiba and Ino both exclaimed extremely loudly.

"Shh," Naruto said, as if their screams would alert the whole campus to their conversation. "After he kissed me, he told me that he was in love with me."

"And?" Kiba asked.

"What do you mean, 'and'?" Naruto asked. "That's HUGE!"

"You mean you didn't already know?" Kiba asked.

"Of course he didn't, Kiba!" Ino exclaimed. "Naruto's the most oblivious kid in the world!"

"I'm right here you know," Naruto said. "So it was obvious?" Naruto asked. "You both knew!"

"Have you seen the way he looks at you?" Ino asked. "It's like he was taken straight out of the sappiest chick flick."

"You should see him when he talks about you," Kiba said. "He gets all controlling and possessive."

"So what did you say after he told you?" Ino asked with a smile, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I told him that I was straight and we couldn't be together," Naruto said.

"Really?" Ino asked.

"What else did you expect?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know," she said. "But I can't believe you just rejected him! No wonder he's been so sad the last few months."

"Huh?" Kiba asked.

"Any time that Sakura, Hinata, Neji, Tenten, Gaara or I hang out with him, he just gets really quiet and contemplative," Ino said. "I thought it had something to do with Suigetsu."

"Who's Suigetsu?" Naruto asked.

"He's one of Sasuke's friends," Ino said, choosing not to tell Naruto and Kiba the full extent of their 'friendship'. "Anyway, I think it's time to get back to unpacking," she said, hoping to end the conversation about Sasuke and Suigetsu.

Naruto didn't push any further and so the three finished unpacking Naruto's stuff. He quickly arranged his desk in a semi-neat fashion before the three went back outside to get Kiba's stuff. Kiba was in a room diagonally across the hall from Naruto with Neji as his roommate.

Kiba had much less stuff than Naruto had. He brought up two bags, and Naruto and Ino carried one each. Kiba opened the door and was surprised to already see Neji there unpacking.

"Oh, hey," Kiba said, entering to make way for Ino and Naruto.

"Kiba," Neji greeted with a nod. He was just about half way done with unpacking from what Naruto could tell. "Hello, Ino, Naruto." Both Ino and Naruto greeted Neji in return. "So did Sakura tell you about the party tonight?" Neji asked.

"Party?" Naruto asked.

"No she didn't," Kiba said.

"Oh, yeah, she told me," Ino informed them. "I forgot to tell you guys."

Neji nodded. "It's at the club downtown, Mangekyo," Neji said. "I already made sure that the bartender will serve us."

"Well, look at you, Neji," Kiba said, impressed by the brunet's connections. "So what time should we be there?"

"It doesn't open till 8, but it doesn't really get good until about 9," Neji said with a shrug.

"Awesome!" Naruto said. "My first college party!"

"Who else is gonna be there?" Ino asked.

Neji shrugged. "Us four, Sakura, Gaara, Lee, Hinata, Sai, and maybe Sasuke." At the mention of Sasuke, Naruto tensed. "Although I haven't actually told him about it yet, so I'd have to find him first."

"Sasuke is going here?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah," Neji said as he finished the last of his unpacking. "I think I'll go look for him now." He left the three alone to search for the raven-haired teen.

"Don't worry, Naruto," Kiba said. "Sasuke's probably gonna be living at home and coming to school like his brother. You won't have to see him that often."

"That's true," Naruto said, his entire body relaxing at that thought. He was really grateful to Sasuke for helping him through his problems, but he couldn't bring himself to think of Sasuke without feeling awkward.

They finished unpacking Kiba's stuff before putting it all away. This time, Kiba put his own clothes away. Ino and Naruto went through his stuff deciding where things should go. In less than an hour from when they started, Kiba's room was done and they were heading out to bring Ino's stuff into her dorm.

* * *

"C'mon, Suigetsu," Sasuke muttered to himself while waiting in the parking lot of the dorm halls. "Do you have to be late to everything?" He rubbed his hands together, not enjoying the fact that it was early September and already 62o. He checked his watch one more time. _7:34_. _'If he's not here in ten seconds, I'm out,'_ Sasuke thought to himself.

At around three o'clock, Suigetsu called Sasuke and asked him if they could go on their 'sort-of date' tonight instead of Friday, as they'd probably already be overwhelmed by school. Sasuke agreed and they'd set the official time for Suigetsu to meet Sasuke at his car to be 7:30. And now, the boy was five minutes late. It's not that Sasuke was impatient, he just…didn't like waiting.

He pulled out his phone to call Suigetsu when he heard his voice calling him from behind. He turned around and saw Suigetsu running across the lot to his car. Sasuke sighed and put his phone back in his pocket, pulling out his car keys in the process.

"Any particular reason you're late?" Sasuke asked the out of breath Suigetsu.

"I'm only five minutes late," Suigetsu said. "That's practically _early_ for me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and opened the door for Suigetsu to get in the car. After closing the door, he walked around the other side and got into the driver's seat.

"So what exactly are we going to do tonight?" Suigetsu asked as Sasuke sat down and buckled up.

"Well, it's 7:35, so I figured we'd go eat," Sasuke said, starting the ignition. He pulled out of his spot and left the lot, soon the campus, and followed the route he'd taken many times to get to a favorite restaurant of his.

They finally pulled in to the restaurant around ten to eight, and they got a table quickly. They ordered their meals and ate them like they did at Hebi at lunch. In fact, there was nothing except for the quality of the meal and the slightly above-average dress to suggest that it was anything but hanging out.

They talked much like they normally did; not really having anything to learn of each other that would normally crop up during a first date. Sasuke didn't think that Suigetsu noticed the causality of the meal, but he wasn't sure. They ate their meal relatively slowly, but it wasn't yet 9:00 when Sasuke asked for the check.

The weirdest thing happened when Sasuke and Suigetsu made their way back outside. The gray-ish haired teen walked to the car, but Sasuke stopped in his tracks after noticing exactly _where_ he was, or – more accurately – what was there.

He saw the neon lights in the window of Ichiraku and was immediately transported in his mind back to a moment when he was with Naruto, who thought he was a girl.

"_Thanks for taking me here, Sasuke-kun," Naruto said as he held tightly on to Sasuke's arm. It had been only a few days since Naruto was released from the hospital after he was raped, but he had insisted that Sasuke take her to her favorite restaurants (1). After a couple minutes of interrogating Ino, Sasuke discovered that this 'favorite restaurant' turned out to be just a hole in the wall ramen place with an orange neon sign saying 'Ichiraku'._

_As the door opened, a bell chimed, signaling their arrival. Upon hearing the chime, the old man behind the counter turned to face them. He obviously was confused as to why one of his favorite customers was hanging on to Sasuke like a leech. If only he knew the half of it._

_Wisely, the man chose not to say anything about that. Instead, he greeted Naruto warmly and asked for our orders. Not knowing a single thing about ramen, I just told him to get me what Naruto was getting. It turns out that Ichiraku actually _did_ serve the best tasting ramen Sasuke had ever tasted._

"_I'm glad we can be out again," Naruto said. "I never want to fall down those stairs ever again."_

"_Heh, yeah," Sasuke said, not knowing how to respond to that. It's not like he could tell Naruto that he was raped and was really a guy and didn't like Sasuke at all. _'Yeah, that would go over great,'_ Sasuke thought._

_When the cook turned back to his stove to cook the order of a new customer, Naruto leaned forward and pressed his lips to Sasuke's. At first, Sasuke pulled back a little, causing Naruto to frown and pull away._

"_What's wrong?" he asked, confused as to why Sasuke didn't want to kiss him._

"_Oh, uh, nothing," Sasuke said lamely. "I just…are you sure you're well enough after your accident?"_

"_I'm completely sure," Naruto said before leaning in to kiss Sasuke again. This time, Sasuke didn't object, but they both pulled away, startled when the man dropped his pot on his foot._

"_Dammit!" he yelled at the pain._

"_Come on!" Naruto said to him with a blush. "It's like you've never seen a girl kiss her boyfriend before." Sasuke saw the look on the man's face turn from mortification to pure confusion and got up, saying something to Naruto about ordering another bowl. Never mind the fact that he had half a bowl left._

"_What the hell are you doing to Naruto?" the man asked in a harsh whisper as Sasuke got to the counter._

"_I'm really not at liberty to explain," Sasuke said. "Please, just go along with it, and pretend he's a girl every time he comes in, alright?"_

"_I'm not sure if I can trust you," the man said. "You look an awful lot like a guy he described the other day when he came in complaining about some 'teme'."_

_Sasuke snorted at the thought. "Believe me, I'm doing what's best for Naruto. If you can't play along, then I might not order my next bowl of ramen and I'll convince him not to return. I'm sure that wouldn't do well for your business considering how much he eats."_

"_Fine," he spat at Sasuke. "One more order of miso ramen coming right up."_

"Sasuke?" Suigetsu asked, breaking Sasuke from his flashback.

"Huh?" the raven asked, momentarily dazed from the memory. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, upon realizing where he was in the present time. He pulled out his keys and unlocked the car door and got into the driver's seat as Suigetsu got into the passenger's seat. He took one last look at Ichiraku before pulling out and driving up towards the university.

About fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the dorm hall parking lot and got out. Since they lived in the same dorm – Suigetsu with Gaara and Sasuke with whoever had moved in while he was out – Sasuke walked Suigetsu to his room.

"I had a good time," Suigetsu said. "But I don't feel like that was a date. It was too…normal."

"How about this then?" Sasuke said, leaning in closer to the other teen. "A date isn't complete without a…goodnight kiss." He pressed his lips to Suigetsu's, who opened in response. After a few minutes, Suigetsu pulled away.

"I'm still not convinced," he said. "And it would be very uncivilized to fuck on a first date."

"Are you serious?" Sasuke asked. "You're about as innocent as a nun doing pushups in a cucumber field."

"That's just harsh," Suigetsu said, pretending to be hurt.

"It's true, too," Sasuke said.

"If you don't cut it out, I'll think you're only in it for the sex," Suigetsu said, his eyebrow quirked. Sasuke scowled, prompting Suigetsu to continue. "I guess you'll just have to take me on another date sometime to prove yourself. And who knows, if it's good, I might put out."

"This is why I hate girls," Sasuke muttered. Suigetsu smiled sweetly before retreating into his room. Sasuke, meanwhile, grumbled all the way up the stairs to his room, where he noticed his roommate was still MIA.

* * *

Naruto was feeling more than a little tipsy as he sauntered around the room dancing with everyone and their grandmother. First the song 'Party Rock Anthem' went by like a flash, and 'Moves Like Jagger' ended as quickly as it began.

The more these electro-dance pop songs played, the more Naruto drank, before eventually just choosing to dance with Hinata exclusively. She wasn't exactly thrilled that her partner was drunk, but she didn't make any objections vocal.

They grinded to 'Where Them Girls At' before Naruto finally couldn't stand any more. They retreated back to the bar where Naruto sat drinking water, trying to not throw up. He saw Kiba yelling at Gaara in the corner of the bar and raised an eyebrow. Hinata followed his line of vision before smiling.

"Kiba's been trying to get Gaara to 'loosen up and get his ass on the dancefloor' since we got here," she said awkwardly. It felt so weird for Naruto to hear Hinata talk like that, but he shrugged it off.

"I think we should…should go," Naruto said, trying not to slur. Hinata nodded.

"I'll tell Ino you're going back with me, so she doesn't have to go looking for you when she wants to leave," Hinata said before disappearing in the sea of bodies.

"Having a fun time?" Neji asked as he sat down in the same stool Hinata had just vacated.

"Neji!" Naruto exclaimed drunkenly before throwing an arm over the pale brunet's shoulder and hugging him. "W'zzup my brotha?"

"I was going to interrogate you about your intentions with my cousin," Neji admitted, "but I'm sure you won't remember any conversation we have by tomorrow, so I might as well wait on that. But I'll tell you now – don't make it a habit to get drunk when she's around."

"Lighten up," Naruto said, playfully hitting Neji's shoulder. "It's a par-TAYY!" Neji rolled his eyes before getting back up to join a random girl on the dancefloor. You see, Neji and Tenten decided to break up, as he was staying in Konoha to go to university while she went to Oxford in England.

Soon, Hinata returned and collected Naruto. She drove him back to the college dorms and led him up the stairs to his room.

"I hope you don't need me to put you to bed," Hinata said with a smile.

"Nah, I'm not _that_ drunk," Naruo said. "'sides, my roomie's prob'bly sleepin', 'nd I woul'n't wanna d'sturb h'm."

"Just get to bed," Hinata said with a smile before heading back outside. She checked her watch and saw it was 11:00. She decided that she'd go to bed early tonight to get rest for her first day of college.

* * *

Sasuke was in bed at 10:30, exhausted from a day of absolutely nothing. He was just about to fall asleep when he heard faint voices from the hallway, but he was too tired to really pay attention to them. Seconds later, the door opened and light poured in to the room from the hallway. Sasuke scowled from under the covers.

He would normally open his eyes to take a peek and see who his roommate was, but he was already so tired, he couldn't lift his eyelids. He mentally shrugged and reasoned that he'd see the other teen in the morning. He heard his roommate flop on his bed and groan before his sheets rustled. Finally, the other person got settled in and started snoring.

'_Just great,'_ Sasuke thought to himself. _'He's a snorer.'_ He sighed to himself and rolled his eyes beneath his eyelids. _'With my luck, he's probably going to be the most annoying fuck I've ever met.'_

**Please Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	13. First Day of Classes

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto….YET. I do have this amazing five-step plan…**

**This chapter was betaed by **LoveUntilWeBleed**.**

Chapter Thirteen: First Day of Classes

Naruto rolled over and groaned when he heard his alarm clock start going off. First he pressed the pillow over his head to muffle the sound, but it was futile. The damn company that made the alarm clock anticipated this, so the alarm got steadily louder as Naruto attempted to ignore it. Finally, he reached an arm out and hit the contraption once, twice, three times before getting it to shut the fuck off.

He groaned as he tried to sit up. He couldn't remember much from last night. In fact, he didn't even remember getting back to the dorms. He tried to think back, but his headache prevented him. He slowly got up and walked over to his desk, opening a drawer and pulling out some asprin. He swallowed it without water, before really opening his eyes and looking around the room.

The first thing he looked at was his roommates' bed, which was empty and already made. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that he saw the slight depression in the pillow from where his head had been, Naruto wouldn't have thought that the guy had even been here last night.

"Well, I guess I'm not gonna meet him this morning," Naruto said to himself. It was slightly disconcerting that he hadn't yet met the person he'd be living with for the next semester. All of his friends knew who their roommates were – Kiba was with Neji, Ino with Sakura, and Hinata with a girl named Kasumi. He knew that Gaara was with Suigetsu (who he only remembered as Sasuke's friend), and then there was him.

Naruto glanced at his schedule and decided to get ready – he had just a half hour to eat breakfast and make it to his English comp class. He stopped at the café in the academic building and picked up a bagel. He glanced at his phone and realized he had only five minutes to be in the class, so he decided not to put cream cheese on it and just eat it plain.

After walking through the building for a few minutes, he finally found his classroom. He sat down in between Kiba and Ino, noticing that Neji was on Ino's other side and Gaara was on Kiba's. Kiba and Gaara were talking to each other, so Naruto decided to ask Ino about what happened last night.

"How did I get home?" he asked her. "I don't remember us leaving."

"Us?" Ino asked his surprised. "Hinata brought you back to your room."

"She did?" Naruto asked, feeling somewhat guilty. He and Hinata were pretty much dating, and he felt guilty that she had to take him home when he was too drunk to remember the night.

"Yes, she did," Neji said. "You were so wasted, you barely knew who I was."

"Oh," Naruto said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "Heh, sorry about that." Neji shrugged and looked at his phone.

"So I guess you were too drunk to pay attention to who your roommate was last night," Ino said. "Did you see who it was this morning?"

"Nah, he left early," Naruto said. "It was almost as if he wasn't there at all."

"Well, do you think he saw you?" Ino asked. Naruto shook his head.

"The covers were over my face," Naruto said. "It was freezing last night!"

"At this rate, you won't ever meet him," Kiba laughed, joining the conversation.

"Yeah," he said. "So be honest, how is it having Neji as a roommate?" Kiba saw that Neji wasn't paying attention to the conversation.

"I mean, it's not bad so far," Kiba said. "We mostly keep to ourselves. We don't really have much in common."

Before they could really start up any real conversation, the professor entered the room and closed the door behind him. He was a large man who looked like he could be a football player. His head was covered, and he had a large scar along his left cheek.

"My name is Captain Ibiki Morino," the man said in a loud, commanding voice. "Don't you dare call me professor, and anyone who calls me doctor gets an automatic 'F' for this class. I fought for your freedom in the war, and I demand respect. You will all treat me with respect. If I ask you a question, you reply with 'sir'. If I tell you to do something, you do it without hesitation. There will be no silliness in my classroom. If you can't handle the fact that this won't be an easy 'A', then get out of this room now."

A shy girl from the back of the room picked up her stuff and shuffled out. The rest of the lecture hall remained silent. After another minute of silence, one more person gathered his stuff and got out of the hall.

"Good, we've gone from 75 to 73," Captain Ibiki Morino said. "Now there's one thing you all must know. I will only pass the top 25% of the class. That means that, as it stands, only 18 of you in this room will pass this course. If you don't think you're one of the top 18 kids in this lecture hall right now, I suggest you follow those two worthless scoundrels out the door."

Naruto and Kiba looked at each other nervously. They knew that neither of them were the smartest kid in the class, and Naruto was skeptical he was in the top 18. He looked over at Ino and saw she was slightly nervous too. She wasn't a bad student, but she definitely couldn't handle pressure.

Then, four or five kids stood up from the row in front of them and left the class. Two other people followed together. After that, it was like a wave of kids poured out of the classroom. Ino began to look more scared.

"The more people leave, the fewer people will pass if he only lets 25% through," she said. Other people followed her logic and began leaving the class. Soon, even Neji and Gaara – who were both geniuses – were starting to look more nervous.

Naruto had counted every single person who left, and he knew that the class was now down to about 37 students. After checking his calculator, he realized that only 9 students would pass the class that he was sitting in. Slowly, he started gathering his books, and two others did the same.

"Stop," Gaara said as Naruto began to walk. "Do not leave this classroom. I have grown to have some level of respect for you, and if you quit now, that'll all go out the window."

Naruto was speechless. He had no idea that it really mattered to Gaara if he left or stayed. He shrugged and sat back down. One of the students who was also going to leave with Naruto sat back down, but the other left.

"I don't think I can be better than everyone else here," he said.

"For those of you who are horrendous at math," Captain Morino started, "only nine of you will pass this class with an 'A'. The rest of you will all fail. And since this class is open only to freshman, I'm sure none of you want your GPA to be lowered so early in your university career."

It seemed his words struck in the minds of a few more, as the 36 student class was now reduced to 28. "Is that it?" Captain Morino asked. "That means only 7 of you will pass this course. If you don't leave now, you'll not have the chance." The room was silent, and Captain Morino's eyes bore into Naruto. "What about you, blondie? Weren't you going to leave? Maybe you're not cut out for it."

"Not only will I be in the top seven in this class," Naruto began slowly, "but I'll be the top of the class!" he exclaimed. "There's no way you'll psyche me out."

Captain Morino smirked. "It seems this brat has figured out my M.O.," he said. "I'm not only passing the top 25% of you. I said that to weed out the weak links in the room. Your grade will be a combination of how you perform on your final exam and the homework you turn in. All the information is in the textbook. I have set up a syllabus to tell you what you should read and when you should read it." He began to pass around a pile of paper. "You'll come to this class on time, and stay here. You can do the homework during class or on your own time. I don't really give a damn what you do here, be it homework or just hang out with friends. You won't leave until it is the end of class. If you do what I have just said, there's no reason why any of you should fail."

The room was silent and Gaara and Neji smirked at the man's ploy. Smiles broke out around the large lecture hall, as people were extremely relieved that they wouldn't be competing as heavily with their friends and classmates.

"Now, unless there are any questions, you are all dismissed," Captain Morino said. The room began to erupt in chatter as people got up and made their way towards the door.

"Jeez, I owe you, Gaara," Naruto said to the redhead. "If it wasn't for you, he would have gotten me!"

"What do you have next?" Kiba asked the blond.

"Uh," he said, trying to remember his schedule. "Themes in U.S. History with Nara," he said.

"So do I," Ino said.

"Same," Kiba added. "What about you, Gaara?" he asked the redhead who was on his other side.

"Bio lab with Mitarashi," he said monotonously.

"I have that too," Neji said. "Hey Naruto, can I speak to you?"

"Uh, sure," the blond said. He stopped walking and waved to Kiba and Ino. "I'll meet up with you guys later!" he yelled after them. He turned back to the brunet. "So what do you need to speak to me about?"

"It's about Hinata," Neji said. "What exactly are your intentions with her?"

"Oh," Naruto said, a little flustered. "Well, I really like her, and we are sort of dating."

"Is this a fling, or are you in this for the long haul?" Neji asked. "Hinata makes very strong attachments very quickly, and if you're not serious about her, then I don't want you to lead her on."

"I really like her," Naruto repeated. "I'm not interested in anything else. I can see myself with Hinata in the future."

"One last thing," Neji said. "Are you bi?"

"W-What?" Naruto stuttered. "Of course I'm not! Why would you even think that?"

"Well, I do have my doubts," Neji said. "Because of the excitement with the rape and Sasuke's shooting, everyone seems to forget a few facts. For instance, before you and Sasuke pretended to date, Sakura was sure you had a crush on him because you kept staring at him. Then there was the fact that you and Sasuke kissed before you thought you were a girl."

"Listen, I'm not into Sasuke," Naruto said. "I haven't thought about him since he visited me at the hospital," he lied. "I am 100% straight and I do really want to make things work with Hinata."

"Good," Neji asked. "But that doesn't explain all the looks, and it doesn't explain the kiss."

"He kissed me," Naruto said. "But I pushed him away. And I didn't stare at Sasuke in high school; Sakura probably just imagined it. Besides, it's not like Sasuke's a factor in anything. I'll never see him again."

"Isn't that wishful thinking considering that he's going to this university as well?" Neji asked. Naruto paled, and Neji quirked an eyebrow. "Did you not know he was attending Konoha U as well?" Naruto shook his head and swallowed. "What's with the reaction? If you really don't care for Sasuke –"

"He kissed me!" Naruto exclaimed, interrupting Neji. "Not only that first time and while I thought he was my boyfriend, but also right before I shot him. And…"

"And what?" Neji asked.

"He kissed me and confessed that he loved me when he visited me at the hospital," Naruto admitted.

"You're sure you aren't into him?" Neji asked.

"Yes!" Naruto yelled. "I just…I feel like I owe him so much for helping me through that time, but I feel awkward around him at the same time."

"As long as your committed to Hinata, I'm fine," Neji said with a shrug. "I guess I have to get to bio and you have to get to history."

"I'll see ya around," Naruto said, walking in the same direction Kiba and Ino were walking in.

A few minutes later, he sat down in the History class, sitting down beside Ino and Kiba. A few other people walked into the room, including a guy with a blonde ponytail the same color as Naruto's hair and a kid with the same pale face and red hair as Gaara. Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the similarities.

Finally, after all the kids had settled in, the professor entered. He was a tall man with spiky black hair tied in a short ponytail. He also had a small goatee that matched his hair. He had a scar across his forehead and one across his right cheek, making Naruto wonder what it was with these professors and their scars.

"He looks familiar, but I can't place it," Ino whispered to Naruto, who just shrugged in response.

"My name is Nara Shikaku," the man in the front said. "But you can all just call me Shikaku."

"Nara…" Kiba said, trailing off. "Wasn't there a kid named Nara at Konoha High?" he asked.

As if on cue, the door opened and a teenager who looked a good amount like the professor walked in. He walked with an amount of laziness that seemed alarming considering the fact that it was only the first day of class. The professor chuckled.

"First day of classes and you're already late, Shikamaru?" the professor asked with a smirk. Shikamaru shrugged and looked around the room before his eyes settled on Ino and he smirked.

"Oh no, it's _that_ kid," Ino muttered. Naruto looked at her with a questioning look before Shikamaru sat down on Naruto's other side.

"This class won't be like any history class you've taken before," Shikaku said. "Instead of looking at only American history or only world history, we will look at history in a global context, encompassing many ideas. Many high schools teach history as if America is isolated from the world, which is, in fact, incorrect."

He continued on, but Naruto couldn't pay attention. He could only think of what he learned about Sasuke today. _'He's actually here?'_ Naruto thought. _'Why haven't I seen him yet? Why wasn't he at the party with everyone last night?'_

Scenarios started flying through Naruto's mind about his eventual meeting with Sasuke. What would he say? What would _Sasuke_ say? Would they forget about Sasuke's confession, or would Sasuke expect something from him? How will Sasuke feel when he finds out Naruto is going out with Hinata for real, not just a prom date?

_Naruto paused before asking Sasuke a question. "Why did you tell me you were sorry when I visited you at the hospital?" Sasuke shook his head._

_"It's not important," he said, dismissing Naruto's concerns with a wave of his hand._

_"I need to know," Naruto said. "It's been bothering me."_

_"I have a lot to apologize for," Sasuke said. "I'm the reason your father raped you in the first place."_

_"That wasn't your fault," Naruto said. "Kyuubi was a sick, sadistic bastard."_

_"I'm sorry I took your virginity," Sasuke said in a whisper._

_"You did what you had to do," Naruto said, his voice lowering to the same level Sasuke's was at._

_"I kissed you," Sasuke said, looking at Naruto's full lips. "When you thought I was Kyuubi, I kissed you. And it freaked you out. I'm sorry for that."_

_"I…I needed that," Naruto whispered._

_"I'm sorry I'm about to do it again," Sasuke said, closing the distance between him and the blond. Naruto's eyes fluttered closed and he instinctively opened his mouth for Sasuke. Sasuke, taking the cue from the blond, questioningly pushed his tongue inside Naruto's mouth._

_He kissed Naruto with less fervor and more apprehension than he did that night at the Uchiha mansion. Naruto didn't realize that he was actually kissing Sasuke and that it should feel wrong. He couldn't tell what it was, but he felt so comfortable kissing the raven._

_Then, suddenly, it clicked. He was kissing Sasuke. This had been the third time he and Sasuke had kissed while he was in his right mind. He jumped away from Sasuke, wiping his mouth._

_"What was that!" Naruto exclaimed, causing Sasuke to wince._

_"I…I'm sorry," Sasuke said. "I just couldn't help myself."_

_"Why not?" Naruto said. "You owe me nothing anymore. You don't have to pretend to be my boyfriend anymore, so you don't have to kiss me anymore."_

_"I didn't kiss you because I thought you expected it," Sasuke said._

_"Then why'd you kiss me?" Naruto asked._

_"Because I wanted to!" Sasuke yelled. "Is it really hard for you to figure out?"_

_"What do you mean?" Naruto asked._

_"I…I'm in love with you Naruto," Sasuke said._

Naruto was suddenly hit with another memory from the night he shot Sasuke.

_"Prove it," Naruto said, pointing the gun back up. "Tell me something that only Sasuke knows."_

_"Remember when you thought you were a girl and we went to that Justin Bieber concert?" Sasuke said, thinking back. "I told you that I didn't want to go, but you said that if I loved you, I'd put up with him for you."_

_"I still don't believe you," Naruto said._

_"What about that time when you put on that neko costume to try to seduce me?" Sasuke asked, standing up out of his chair. "It was__so__hard to resist you, especially when you kept coming back and begging for me to sleep with you."_

_"I…" Naruto choked, his hands trembling even more. His head started to throb, and his vision was getting blurry. Tears were starting to roll down his eyes._

_"Remember that time when you called me up scared because you had a dream that took you back to the night of the rape?" Sasuke asked, starting to slowly walk towards Naruto. "You were so confused because you didn't remember a thing. I spent the whole night, and you still tried to seduce me then. Remember how Ino walked in on you giving me a blow job?"_

_Naruto closed his eyes, not being able to focus on anything anymore. Sasuke had finally closed the gap between them, but Naruto still saw his father. It was making sense to him logically. In his head and even in his heart, he knew that it was Sasuke standing less than a foot away from him. And when his eyes were closed, it was easy for Naruto to believe it really was Sasuke standing there._

_Sasuke saw Naruto struggling to process the information and felt he had to do something to help him. He gently touched Naruto's chin, causing the blond to tense. He then lifted his chin the slight bit needed before leaning over and kissing Naruto._

_For a second, Naruto just froze. He was already reeling from the encounter. Was the man in front of him Kyuubi or Sasuke? Kyuubi could easily be lying to get Naruto to give up the gun. But Naruto didn't know who to believe. And even if it was Sasuke, that would mean that Sasuke was now__kissing him__. Naruto was on overload._

_Sasuke, not sensing any reaction from Naruto decided to deepen the kiss. Naruto remembered kissing Sasuke before, and he knew it was just like this. With the comfort and security of knowing it was Sasuke in front of him, he melted into the kiss, opening his mouth to invite Sasuke's tongue in._

_They continued to pour their emotions into the kiss for the brief time they were allotted before hearing Ino and Sakura knock on the door._

He couldn't focus on Shikaku's talk about the course when all he could think about was Sasuke. He'd felt so comforted by the simple connection between their lips. When it seemed like all he knew was a lie, the only thing that was able to give him any sort of peace was kissing Sasuke. What did that mean? He'd just gotten through telling Neji that he had no feelings for Sasuke, but he kept re-examining his feelings. Was it possible he felt something for the raven?

He didn't notice when class was dismissed, but he got up along with Shikamaru, Ino and Kiba when he was finally broken from his thoughts.

"Hey, Kiba," Naruto said, catching the brunet's attention. "Do you want to go back to my room? I'm done with classes for the day."

"Sure," the brunet said. "Have fun in chemistry, Ino!" he said with a smirk. He and Naruto left her behind as they went in the opposite direction to the dorms.

They finally got to Naruto's room, not surprised to see it still empty. Naruto was really beginning to wonder when he'd end up meeting his roommate.

"So what's going on between you and Gaara?" Naruto asked the brunet with a sly smile. "You two seemed pretty chummy this morning at English."

"Nothing's going on between us," Kiba said. "He's not my type."

"That's bull," Naruto said. "You two would be cute together. Especially because his hair matches your tattoos." He started laughing. Ever since he was released from the hospital, he'd been ripping on Kiba's decision to get two red triangle tattoos on his cheeks. If Naruto was there, he would not have let Kiba get such a ridiculous tattoo.

"Shut up," Kiba said with a smile. "You don't want me to get started on 'Sasuke-kun' and 'Naruto-chan'," he said, bursting into laughter, causing the blonde's eyes to narrow.

"I will end you," Naruto said with his best glare.

"No you won't," Kiba said, controlling his fit of laughter. "Besides, I have blackmail material." Naruto's expression became one of confusion and Kiba smirked. "Does a photo of you in a neko costume ring a bell?" He burst into laughter at Naruto's horrified expression.

"How did you get that!" he yelled. "I never sent that to you!"

"Ino," he said with a shrug.

"You're such a bad liar," Naruto said, knowing that the blonde wouldn't give Kiba the picture.

"Want to bet?" Kiba asked. "Come look at my computer sometime."

Naruto immediately displayed his best poker face, trying to hide his anger. Kiba, meanwhile, was sporting a similar poker face, hoping that Naruto didn't hear what he had just said.

"Kiba…" Naruto began slowly, keeping his poker face on. "Why would you have a picture of me half-naked in a neko suit…on your computer?"

"Er," Kiba said, realizing Naruto _had_ in fact heard what he said. After a good ten seconds of silence while Kiba struggled to come up with an excuse, Kiba shrugged. "I've got nothing."

"PERVERT!" Naruto yelled, whacking Kiba upside the head. He tackled the brunet to the ground, but was stopped before he could hit him again by the lock of the door clicking. He immediately stood up and faced the door as it opened, revealing his roommate.

* * *

Sasuke sat down in his bio class waiting for everyone else to arrive. His first class was released extremely early, and he didn't think anyone would be here for another fifteen to twenty minutes.

About five minutes later, Gaara walked in, and he sat right next to the raven.

"You're here early," Sasuke said.

"I could say the same," Gaara replied.

Sasuke shrugged. "Anatomy class ended early. Who's idea was it to hire Mr. Senin to be the Anatomy professor?"

"Jiraiya?" Gaara asked. "Oh yeah…Principle Tsunade was asked to be the President of the University, so she hired Jiraiya and Orochimaru as professors here."

"Talk about nepotism," Sasuke muttered. "Oh well, at least he hasn't looked at porn during class yet."

"It's only the first day," Gaara said.

"This is still a better record than last year," Sasuke said, recalling his first lesson with Jiraiya last year. "What about you? Why are you here early?"

"Captain Ibiki Morino let our English Comp class out early," Gaara said. "Neji's coming here too, but he had to talk to Naruto about Hinata."

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked, shocked. "Is he here?"

"You didn't know?" Gaara asked. "He was in English with us, along with Kiba and Ino. Morino played this mind game where he psyched kids out into leaving the class. It turns out he's pretty chill and we don't have to do anything except make sure we had in homework at the end of class."

"Pretty sweet deal," Sasuke commented, still wrapping his mind around the fact that Naruto was at Konoha University. That meant that while he tried to get over Naruto by dating Suigetsu, he would be running into Naruto often, and possibly had a class or two with him.

After a few more minutes, Neji entered. He sat down next to Sasuke on his other side than Gaara.

"So I had the most interesting conversation with Naruto," Neji said to start off conversation. "He didn't even know you were attending Konoha U."

"I didn't know he was here either until Gaara told me," Sasuke said with a shrug. "It's not important anyway."

"Of course it is," Neji said. "He's involved with Hinata, and he swears that they're getting serious."

"I'm happy for her," Sasuke said simply. Gaara remained silent and just observed the conversation.

"According to Naruto, you still have pretty strong feelings for him," Neji said, getting down to the crux of the conversation.

"Things have changed since I saw him at the hospital," Sasuke said.

"Oh?" Neji inquired. "How so?"

"For one, I'm now dating someone," he said. This piqued Gaara's interest.

"Really?" the redhead asked. "Who?"

"Suigetsu," Sasuke answered. "I don't have feelings for Naruto anymore," Sasuke lied to Neji. "And I don't appreciate you interrogating me like you expect me to betray Hinata and fuck Naruto in a closet behind her back."

"I never accused you of anything," Neji said. "I just wanted to let you know he's off the market. I'm still your friend."

Before the conversation could continue any further, Sakura entered the classroom and sat next to Neji on the other side as Sasuke.

"Well, aren't you three here early," Sakura commented.

"We got out of class early," Gaara told her. She nodded in understanding before talking about how she ran into Tsunade in the hallway on the way to class. Sasuke checked out of the conversation, thinking about Naruto being at Konoha University.

He knew he still felt something for the blond, but at the same time, he didn't want to. He still had doubts about the blonde's sexuality, but now that he was dating Hinata, he decided he definitely wasn't going to interfere. And on the off chance that Naruto indeed _was_ straight, as he said, then meddling in their business would only piss off Hinata and Neji. He didn't want to ruin the tight nit friendship their group had.

Sitting in the class listening to the others talk made him feel like he was back at Konoha High. Hinata joined them soon, and more kids started filing into the classroom. Soon, the professor, a short-haired woman with purple hair named Anko Mitarashi entered the classroom.

"I am Professor Mitarashi," she began in a very stern voice, silencing all the conversations going on. "But if you really want, you can call me Anko." As she said this, she winked at Gaara, which was a pretty hilarious sight. She continued the introductions and did attendance, flirting with some kids as she called their names. Sasuke was no exception.

"Uchiha Sasuke," she said. "Are you Itachi's brother?" He scowled at this, but nodded anyway. "Good," she said with a sly smirk. "Maybe you'll be as good a…" she winked at him "…student as Itachi."

He rolled his eyes. First he had the biggest pervert alive, and now he had the most flirtatious professor at the university. He certainly got the quirky ones.

She continued by handing out the syllabus and going over the safety rules of the lab. She kept them until the class was over, and Sasuke was relieved to not have another class afterwards. After a summer of laziness, two classes a day was already killing him.

Neji and Hinata both had Intro to Psych next, and Sakura had English Comp with Morino next. After giving her a tip for the class, Gaara and Sasuke went back to the dorms. They decided they'd go to Sasuke's room to get his wallet and then go out for lunch.

They walked towards Sasuke's room, and Sasuke heard a yell of "PERVERT!" coming from inside the room. Not recognizing the voice at first, he smirked to himself. He'd finally see who his roommate was. He stuck the key in the keyhole and turned it. He opened the door and looked shocked at what he saw.

Standing in front of him inside the room were Naruto and Kiba – the two people Sasuke least expected to see there. He felt like the wind was kicked out of him, and he could hardly breathe. Just standing in the blonde's presence was already making Sasuke feel out of breath, and he felt the temperature rise about ten degrees.

"N-Naruto?" Sasuke asked. "What are you doing here?"

"What am _I_ doing here?" Naruto asked. "This is my room! What are _you_ doing here?"

"This can't be your room," Sasuke said. "This is my –" he stopped short upon realizing their situation. He – Uchiha Sasuke – was roommates with Uzumaki Naruto, the boy he just happened to be head over heels over. It seemed like the months apart in fact did nothing to Sasuke's feelings for the blond.

"I think we should leave you two alone," Gaara said. "C'mon Kiba."

"But –" he began to argue.

"I said _come on,_ Kiba," Gaara said sharply. Not one to argue, Kiba picked up his backpack and headed towards the door. He turned around before leaving.

"I'll talk to you later, Naruto," he said as he passed Sasuke and left with Gaara. The brunet closed the door behind him and Naruto was left facing Sasuke, neither of them sure of what to say.

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	14. Sasuke & Naruto

**Disclaimer: This is too depressing…I can't even say it. I…I…I d-don't…I don't o-own N-Naruto. *cries***

**This chapter was betaed by **LoveUntilWeBleed**.**

Chapter Fourteen: Sasuke and Naruto

They walked towards Sasuke's room, and Sasuke heard a yell of "PERVERT!" coming from inside the room. Not recognizing the voice at first, he smirked to himself. He'd finally see who his roommate was. He stuck the key in the keyhole and turned it. He opened the door and looked shocked at what he saw.

Standing in front of him inside the room were Naruto and Kiba – the two people Sasuke least expected to see there. He felt like the wind was knocked out of him, and he could hardly breathe. Just standing in the blonde's presence was already making Sasuke feel out of breath, and he felt the temperature rise about ten degrees.

"N-Naruto?" Sasuke asked, surprised that he was able to speak. "What are you doing here?"

"What am _I_ doing here?" Naruto asked. "This is my room! What are _you_ doing here?"

"This can't be your room," Sasuke said. "This is my –" he stopped short upon realizing their situation. He – Uchiha Sasuke – was roommates with Uzumaki Naruto, the boy he just happened to be head over heels over. It seemed like the months apart in fact did nothing to Sasuke's feelings for the blond, contrary to what he'd believed.

"I think we should leave you two alone," Gaara said upon feeling the tense air of the room. He turned to the brunet. "C'mon Kiba."

"But –" he began to argue.

"I said _come on,_ Kiba," Gaara said sharply. Not one to argue, Kiba picked up his backpack and headed towards the door. He turned around before leaving.

"I'll talk to you later, Naruto," he said as he passed Sasuke and left with Gaara. The brunet closed the door behind him and Naruto was left facing Sasuke, neither of them sure of what to say.

All Sasuke knew was that his chest was tightened, and he felt miserable and happy at the same time. He and Naruto were roommates…how could that work? Just the last ten seconds he'd been in the same room, he realized that he was wrong before – he still had feelings for Naruto.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said. "I didn't know you were my roommate."

"Hehe, same here," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Sasuke hoped that it wasn't too obvious that he was staring at the muscles beneath the t-shirt move while he did so.

"If it's gonna be too awkward, I can just go back to the mansion and commute to school," Sasuke said quickly, once he realized he was, in fact, staring. "I understand."

"No," Naruto said. "I mean, it's probably gonna be a little awkward, but nothing too bad. Besides, you know I'm with Hinata now, so it's not like you think anything's going to happen." He couldn't point his finger at it, but something seemed wrong with talking to Sasuke about Hinata.

"Yeah," Sasuke said. "It's not like I like you anymore." He almost winced at how big of a lie that was. He could still feel electricity between him and Naruto, even though they were on opposite sides of the room. "I'm dating someone too." Wait, where did that come from?

"Really?" Naruto asked, wondering what that weird feeling was that he'd just experienced. Part on him wanted to know more, but the other part wanted him to just shut up. "Who?"

"A friend of mine from Hebi Academy," Sasuke said. "His name's Suigetsu."

"Oh, him," Naruto said, causing Sasuke to raise an eyebrow. How could Naruto know about Suigetsu? It's not like they'd ever met, had they? "Ino told me that he was your friend."

"Well, we've sort of been together for a few months," Sasuke said. He didn't know why he felt the need to make his thing with Suigetsu sound more important than it was. But here he was, blowing up the truth, making it seem like they've been going steady since high school.

"Good for you," Naruto said, not sure of how to react. He had so many feelings right now that he couldn't put his finger on. He was relieved that Sasuke had found someone, because it meant that he wouldn't try to get Naruto to sleep with him. He was happy for the raven that he had found someone, because he didn't want him giving up his life to pine for someone who would never return his affections. But at the same time, he felt…disappointed. And this was the most confusing feeling of all.

He grinned widely at Sasuke despite that feeling, hoping to diffuse the tension. "So are we good?"

"Uh, yeah," Sasuke said awkwardly. "I think I'm gonna go find Gaara." He left the room and closed the door behind him. As soon as Sasuke was gone, Naruto groaned and ran his hands through his hair, pissed at the feelings that he was having. He glanced at the clock and knew that he still had three hours before his next class, so he grabbed his hoodie from his chair and left the room.

He went down to the parking lot and got in his car. He started the ignition and pulled out of his parking space before tearing out of the university campus. He got onto the highway and got off two exits later, right outside the city limits of Konoha. He made a few turns before driving down the bumpy road that he had once dreaded before parking his car at the building he recognized from not too long ago.

_Konoha Mental Hospital_.

Naruto looked from the sign to the large building before getting out of his car and going into the building. Luckily, the security guard remembered him, and when Naruto said he needed to see Dr. Kishimoto, he let Naruto through.

Naruto climbed the stairs to the third floor and walked down the hallway to his former psychiatrists' office. He knocked on the door twice before Dr. Kishimoto opened it.

Kishimoto Masashi, the psychiatrist at Konoha was a large man. He had broad shoulders, and looked as if he played football in high school. He had short black hair and piercing golden eyes. As intimidating as he looked, though, he was a real softie. Naruto was probably more scared of a teddy bear than Dr. Kishimoto.

"Naruto," he said in a soft, warm voice. "What a surprise."

"Can I come in?" Naruto asked. Dr. Kishimoto nodded and got out of the doorway, letting Naruto in. "I know I should probably find my own therapist for this kind of stuff, but I need to talk to someone who already knows all about me." He sat down on the leather couch that was reserved for patients.

"That's understandable," Dr. Kishimoto said. "So what did you want to talk about? Is college going okay for you?"

"Yeah," Naruto said. "The courses are fine. It's my roommate that's a problem."

"What's your roommate's name?" Dr. Kishimoto asked as he sat down in his desk chair.

"Uh, his name is Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto said with a sheepish smile.

"The same one who you thought was your boyfriend and who visited you this summer to tell you he loved you?" Dr. Kishimoto asked, an eyebrow raised.

"The same," Naruto confirmed. "I didn't even find out until, like, a half hour ago."

"How'd you manage that?" Dr. Kishimoto asked with a smile. "Did you forget what he looked like?"

"No," Naruto said. "We just kept missing each other. Anyway, he comes into the room today while I'm with Kiba, and it was just…it was awkward."

"Remember our strategies to identify your feelings?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. "Did you identify them while this was happening?"

"Yeah, but it confused me," Naruto admitted. "I mean, he told me that he didn't have feelings for me anymore and he has been dating someone for a few months. I was relieved and happy for him, but I just…I felt, like, sad in a way. Almost disappointed. Which I know doesn't make sense because he has a right to date someone else. He shouldn't have to pine after me without any chance of reciprocation, but I just…I don't know." Dr. Kishimoto raised an eyebrow. "I don't make any sense, do I?" Naruto asked.

"I understand perfectly," Dr. Kishimoto said. "In fact, I think you do too. You pinpointed that you were disappointed that he was dating somebody else." A short silence fell over the room.

"No," Naruto said, understanding what his psychiatrist was insinuating. "I don't have feelings for Sasuke. I'm straight."

"I never said you weren't," Dr. Kishimoto said. "You always feel the need to label yourself. Forget about those labels. Don't think in terms of straight or gay, think in terms of Sasuke."

"I don't have feelings for him," Naruto repeated. "I get enough shit from everyone else about Sasuke; I don't need you joining the SasuNaru bandwagon!"

"SasuNaru?" Dr. Kishimoto asked.

"It was a fan club that half of the girls at Konoha High made that promoted Sasuke and I being together," Naruto said. "My entire high school wanted me to date him, but I don't. Everyone thinks Sasuke and I would be so cute together, or whatever, and I'm tired of it. I just want to be with Hinata."

"Then tell me what you think," Dr. Kishimoto said. "If you weren't disappointed that Sasuke has moved on because you reciprocate the feelings he once had for you, then why _were_ you disappointed?"

"That's why I'm here!" Naruto exclaimed. "I don't know! I'd like to think that I'm not so much of an egomaniac that I just like the attention."

"Have you thought much about Sasuke since you got out of here last week?" Dr. Kishimoto asked.

"Yeah," Naruto said, the words slipping out before he could stop them. "I mean, not that much. Maybe once or twice."

"Tell me about Hinata," Dr. Kishimoto said. "How are things with her?"

"They're good," Naruto said, nodding his head. "We had our first date when I was released."

"How did that go?" the psychiatrist asked.

"Well, we kissed when I brought her back home," Naruto said.

"Did anything else happen?" Dr. Kishimoto prodded. Naruto shook his head. "Do you want anything else to happen?"

"Obviously," Naruto said. "She comes from a conservative family, though, so I'm trying to take things slowly."

"Does Hinata know that you're Sasuke's roommate?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. Naruto shook his head again.

"The only people who know are me, Sasuke, Kiba, and Sasuke's friend Gaara. Unless Sasuke told someone else by now," Naruto added.

"I see," Dr. Kishimoto said. "How else did you feel when you were with Sasuke before?"

"I…I just felt like I shouldn't have been there," Naruto said. "It almost felt like I was betraying Hinata just by being in the same room as Sasuke."

"Why would you feel like that?" Dr. Kishimoto asked.

"Well, Sasuke had feelings for me," Naruto explained. "Deep feelings. Sasuke offered to move out and go back to his mansion and commute to school, but that would be unfair to him. I feel like I should just switch rooms with someone. It's not Sasuke's problem, it's mine."

"Why don't you just give rooming with Sasuke a chance?" Dr. Kishimoto said. "It sounds like you just freaked out. If there's really a problem, then it will show itself in the next week or two. Come back at the end of September if you're still confused about Sasuke, alright?"

"Thanks," Naruto said with a smile. "Do you mind if I go and talk to Miki?" he asked after a second. "I promised him I'd visit when I was released, and I haven't had the time yet."

"Sure," Dr. Kishimoto said. "Feel free to visit whoever you'd like." Naruto smiled and thanked the psychiatrist before leaving the office to find the patients that had become friends to him in his two month stay at KMH.

* * *

Sasuke found Gaara sitting with Kiba at the food court in the campus center at a table for two. He walked up from behind Gaara, and Kiba called out to him.

"Sasuke! Where's Naruto?" Gaara turned to face Sasuke as he approached.

"I left him back in the room," he said to Kiba. "I need to talk to you, Gaara." Kiba nodded and got up, allowing Sasuke to take his seat. He took his Snapple and his bookbag and left, heading towards Naruto and Sasuke's dorm room. He wanted to see how Naruto was doing anyway.

"What happened?" Gaara asked as Sasuke sat down.

"I…I was so sure that I'd mostly gotten over him," Sasuke said, more to himself than to Gaara. "I thought that with Suigetsu, I'd at least be able to get him out of my head. I never expected this. He's my roommate…I'm gonna have to see him every day. I'll never get over him now."

"You still have feelings for him," Gaara said. It wasn't a question.

"I haven't seen him in months!" Sasuke exclaimed. "How can his still have this power to make me feel weak in the knees? How can he still make me breathless every time I see him? How does he still have this sick hold over me, that if he told me to jump, I'd ask him how high?"

"I don't think that your feelings are nearly as one-sided as you think they are," Gaara said. "I pride myself as an expert of observation. When you and I walked into that room, the only thing Naruto saw was you. It was as if Kiba and I didn't even exist."

"I have my doubts that he's as straight as he pretends to be," Sasuke admitted. "But there's no way he feels as strongly and intensely for me as I do for him."

"No," Gaara admitted. "But there is something about you that he can't get over either."

"I just wish this could get less complicated," Sasuke said. "I never asked for this – any of it. If you told me that this would be the consequence of blackmailing Naruto to be my boyfriend to rid myself of fangirls, I would have never done it. I would have jumped butt naked into their fan club meetings every single week before I'd let this happen."

"As appreciative as they would have been, I think it's better this way," Gaara said, a smirk playing on his face at the thought of the raven jumping butt naked into their fan club. "I don't think it's nearly as bad as you're making it out to be. You've always been a bit of a drama queen." This statement earned Gaara a glare that was so intense it almost made him flinch. Almost.

"If you're not going to help me, then I'm just gonna go," Sasuke said, getting out of his seat.

"What do you want me to do?" Gaara asked. "You're refusing to see that Naruto is attached to you, even if it's not in the same way you're attached to him. Just give this thing a chance. Maybe you'll grow sick of him from living together, or maybe you'll become such close friends that you'll be unable to see him as anything other than platonic."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and looked at his phone, which just vibrated, telling Sasuke he had a text. "Suigetsu wants to meet me for lunch," he said.

"Then I guess I'll talk to you later," Gaara said. "Have fun." Sasuke sat back down at the table and texted Suigetsu his location so that the latter could join him. About five minutes later, Sasuke saw the blue-ish gray hair that belonged to his…he didn't know what to call him. Boyfriend?

"Hey," Suigetsu said, sitting down with a sandwich in his hand that he'd just gotten. Sasuke pulled out the salad that he'd gotten while waiting. "How's your day been?"

"Fine," Sasuke lied. He couldn't help the inflection in his voice that gave away his deception.

"No, something's wrong," Suigetsu said. "Did something happen?" Sasuke sighed. He resolved himself to telling Suigetsu that Naruto was his roommate, but first he had to find the right way to broach the topic.

"I found out who my roommate is," Sasuke said, making it sound like it was nothing important.

"Oh?" Suigetsu asked. "Who is it?"

"It's Naruto," he said, not sure how else to say it. Suigetsu's face showed a complete understanding of the situation before he looked down at his food.

"How do you feel about that?" Suigetsu asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Don't lie to me," Suigetsu demanded. "I'm your friend."

"Is that all you are?" Sasuke asked. "What are we? Are we friends? Are we together? Boyfriends?"

"It depends," Suigetsu asked.

"On what?" Sasuke asked.

"How do you feel about Naruto?" Suigetsu asked, putting all his cards on the table. "If you're still in love with him, then no, we're not together, and we're certainly not boyfriends."

"Naruto's a part of my past," Sasuke said. "Seeing him brought up old feelings, but that's all they are. I don't love Naruto anymore."

"Then what's bothering you?" Suigetsu asked. "If you don't have feelings for him, then what's the problem with being his roommate?"

"I just…it's awkward," Sasuke admitted.

"Stop lying," Suigetsu ordered once more. "I want you to tell me the truth for once. Are you still in love with him?" Sasuke shrugged. "If Naruto wanted to be with you, would you break up with me for him?" Sasuke didn't look Suigetsu in the eyes. Instead, he looked outside the window they were sitting next to.

"It's a moot point," Sasuke said in a low voice. "It's not like Naruto would ever want to get together with me."

"That's all I need to know," Suigetsu said. "Listen, Sasuke, I'm not going to get myself romantically involved with someone who can't commit to a relationship. We can still be friends, but we can't be anything more unless you are completely over Naruto."

"Then that's it?" Sasuke asked.

"That's it," Suigetsu confirmed. He stood up and walked out of the campus center, leaving Sasuke even more confused and upset by his feelings.

* * *

Sasuke walked into his English Lit class in the worst mood he'd had since…he couldn't remember. He sat in the back corner and didn't talk to anyone. He noticed that Hinata and Ino were in the class, but neither had noticed him. He'd done his best to be unseen by the two, not wanting to deal with Naruto's girlfriend and sister.

The professor walked in a second later. He was an extremely short, extremely old man. He had a big nose, a beard, and white hair. He wrote down his name on the board. _Professor Kage Tsuchi_. Sasuke remembered he also had another teacher with the last name Kage. He thought back and remembered the name _Kage Rai_.

The professor started off by complaining about contemporary books and how 'young people' don't know the true beauty of literature. He then started speaking about reading being a fad nowadays. People only read what's popular instead of looking for books that interest them independent from society. Blah blah blah. Sasuke didn't give two shits about what the professor was saying.

He handed out a syllabus before throwing out his back trying to reach up to write on the dry-erase board in the front of the class. He instead took an empty desk from the front row and stood on top of it so he could write. He then started sneezing and complaining about all the dust in the room. He spent another five minutes explaining his allergy to dust and how he hates the stuff.

Sasuke couldn't wait to get out of there. He looked around the room and saw that he recognized one other student in the room, who had luckily not seen him. '_How does Itachi have the same class as me?_' Sasuke thought grumpily. Finally, the old man in the front of the room decided to do roll call, which Sasuke was dreading all class.

When he read the name _Uchiha Sasuke_ (which came right after _Uchiha Itachi_, obviously), Hinata, Ino and Itachi all turned their heads to look around the room for him. Their eyes all landed on Sasuke at the same time, which creeped Sasuke out. He continued the lesson, ignoring the fact that his phone was vibrating in his pocket, probably because Ino and Hinata were currently texting him.

When he dismissed the class, Sasuke tore out of the room, ignoring a smartass comment from Itachi about hiding in the corner and calls from Ino and Hinata to wait up. He was so focused on getting away that he didn't notice where he was walking until he knocked into another student.

"Whoa there, aren't you in a rush?" the older teen asked Sasuke, a smirk on his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sasuke told the blond. He really hated knowing so many people here. It was just his luck that after running away from a class filled with brothers and friends, he'd run right into…you guessed it…his brother's friend. It was even worse that he had something of a crush on him a while back. "I have to be somewhere."

"What's the rush?" Deidara asked with his happy demeanor. "You know, we should hang out sometime. If you're anywhere near as boring as your brother, you need someone to teach you how to let go."

"That's great," Sasuke said quickly. He had no interest in getting involved with Itachi's friends. It wouldn't serve any good. "Anyway, I have class now," he lied.

"Really?" Deidara asked interestedly. Jeez, what was wrong with this guy? Why wouldn't he just let Sasuke leave? "What class?"

"Er…" Sasuke said, not coming up with the name for a class. He'd already been to all his classes for the day. He normally would have just given the name of one of the courses he'd just taken, but he was too much of a mess today. Luckily, Ino saved him from having to make more small talk with Deidara.

"Sasuke!" she yelled from behind him. "Sasuke! Why'd you run off like that?"

"I guess I'll see you later, Sasuke," Deidara said with a smirk as he left the raven with the other blond.

"Who was that?" Ino asked. "Actually, never mind. Why did you hide from Hinata and I in class, and why did you run off after class ended?" He debated telling the truth – he just wasn't in the mood to deal with people. But instead, he decided to just not answer.

"I didn't hide from you," Sasuke said. "I just didn't make my presence known."

"And you haven't answered any of our texts," Ino said, giving him a pointed look. "What's going on?"

"Nothing important," Sasuke said dismissively. "I just want to be left alone right now."

"Oh," Ino said quietly. "Are you sure? Sometimes you think you want to be alone, but all you need is some company, someone to talk to."

"I'm all talked out," Sasuke said. "I really just want to go back to my room and take a long nap. It's been a long day."

"Okay," Ino said, not really sure that Sasuke should be alone. "If you need anything, just call me, alright? I don't have a class right now, so don't worry about that."

"Okay," Sasuke said before turning and walking back to the dorms. When he got back to his room, he just fell on his bed and yelled into his pillow before rolling over and closing his eyes to go to sleep.

* * *

Naruto filed into his economics class with the other students, surprised to see Hinata had already arrived. She didn't notice Naruto's entrance, so he walked over to her at surprised her by plopping down in the seat right next to her.

"Oh, I didn't see you there," she said quietly as Naruto leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. "How has your day been?"

"It's been okay," Naruto said. "I almost dropped out of my English comp class, but Gaara convinced me not to." Hinata nodded. "Then I found out that Sasuke is my roommate." This earned a large gasp from the girl.

"Really?" she asked. "That explains it, then."

"That explains what?" Naruto asked.

"Sasuke seemed upset in American Lit just now. He stayed in the back of the room in the corner, and Ino and I didn't even know he was there until Professor Kage called his name in the attendance book."

"Professor Kage?" Naruto asked. "Isn't she the one who's teaching this class?"

"She?" Hinata asked confused. "Professor Kage is a guy."

As if on cue, a tall reddish-brown haired woman entered the classroom. Her hair was long and it obscured her right eye. She was wearing a tight blue dress that accentuated every curve. She had huge breasts and a beautiful face. The second she walked in, people in the back started wolf-whistling.

"My name is Professor Kage Mizu," she said, ignoring the boys in the back. "I will be your economics professor this semester."

"Is Professor Kage Tsuchi your husband?" Hinata asked her. Immediately, Professor Kage froze in place and her visible eye twitched.

"Husband?" she asked. "Is that some sort of snide remark about me being single? Don't you think you're so special, Miss 'Look-I-Have-A-Boyfriend-And-My-Professor-Doesn't'? You think you're funny? Well? DO YOU?!" Hinata flinched at Professor Kage's rage.

"For all of your information, I am Professor Kage. You will call me Professor Mizu, because my brothers Tsuchi and Rai work here, and you're liable to have more than one of us."

Everyone nodded, the small idle chit chat broken by her rant against Hinata. She handed out the syllabus and went over the class. No one dared to speak while she was talking, and Naruto silently thought that she could benefit from some time at KMH.

* * *

Sasuke woke up from a dream that involved only Naruto. Naruto, Naruto and more Naruto. He couldn't get the blond out of his head. It was really bothering him. He looked at the clock and saw it was 6:00, so he decided to go out to dinner by himself. He got dressed nicely and then headed out of the dorm.

Instead of going to the food court where he was bound to run into someone he knew, Sasuke decided to go out to eat. He got in his car and drove downtown before realizing where he was unconsciously heading. He considered just going to somewhere else, but he was hungry, and he knew he could eat there without a reservation.

He parked his car and walked into Ichiraku's, glad to see that the old man who was there during Sasuke's last visit to the ramen shop was not there. Instead, there was a woman with brown hair who didn't seem much older than Sasuke.

"Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen, what can I get for you?" she asked with a bright smile.

"I'll have an order of pork ramen," Sasuke said darkly. She bristled at his mood, but complied. Soon, he was sitting at a table for two by himself eating his order. He found that he wasn't too hungry, however, and left his plate half-full, leaving a generous tip for the girl.

He drove back towards the university, but he decided to go somewhere else first. He drove towards his uncle's bar, Mangekyo. He didn't know what it was, but it was almost like the bar was calling to him. He knew he had a drinking problem, but it didn't really matter to him. It felt good to drink, and he could definitely use the relaxing right now. He parked his car and got out before sneaking into the bar, not wanting anyone who knew him to rat him out to his uncle Madara or to Itachi.

He saw a new bartender who didn't know him, and made a beeline towards him. The bartender was cute, but Sasuke wasn't in the mood to ogle him right now. He ordered a double shot of vodka and downed it as soon as it was put in front of him before ordering another one.

"Sasuke?" asked the man sitting next to him. Sasuke looked up to see Deidara sitting next to him, and groaned. Really, wasn't there anywhere he could just get away from it all? "What are you doing here?"

"I'm drinking," Sasuke said angrily. "You have a problem with that?" Hopefully Deidara won't know about his alcohol problem. If he did, things would get much worse tonight.

"Of course not," Deidara said, much to Sasuke's relief, with a smirk that reminded Sasuke of Naruto. Deidara seemed to be a lot like Naruto on the outside, Sasuke could tell. Besides the physical features, Sasuke knew that Deidara was the life of the social circle (which wasn't really a hard thing to be, if you knew the others). Deidara raised a glass that seemed to have a very fruity drink in it. "People in glass houses don't throw stones." The bartender placed Sasuke's second shot on the counter in front of the raven, and Sasuke wasted no time in downing it.

"Whoa there," Deidara said. "There's a difference between drinking and inhaling your drink."

"So?" Sasuke asked, the alcohol beginning to go to his head. He was never very good with alcohol, and his empty stomach after his half-eaten salad at lunch and his half-eaten bowl of ramen before wasn't helping the situation. Then again, whose business was it what Sasuke did? He could get as drunk as he wanted.

"So, you've been here five minutes and you're already getting plastered," Deidara said, putting his drink down. "I hope you didn't drive yourself."

"So what if I did?" Sasuke asked. "It's not your problem." Where did he get off? Didn't he say he didn't care if Sasuke drank? Sasuke's vision started to go blurry, and Deidara went in and out of focus. Sasuke blinked a few time to get his vision straighter.

"I'm taking you home," Deidara said with an air of finality. "I'll drive you here to pick up your car tomorrow."

"You're not the boss of me," Sasuke said defiantly as he asked for another shot. He could tell Deidara was getting fed up, but really, who gave a shit? Certainly not Sasuke. He didn't come here to be treated like a baby.

"I can always call Itachi," Deidara said with a smirk. "He'll be more than happy to drive you home instead." Sasuke glared at Deidara before downing his third shot of vodka. Of course Deidara would threaten to call Itachi. And Sasuke thought for a few minutes that he _wouldn't_ be a kill joy. Why the hell won't people just leave him alone? He just wanted to drink himself silly for once. It wasn't like he was hurting anyone?

"So what has you trying to get shit-faced?" Deidara asked suddenly. "Does it have anything to do with that blonde from earlier? She's pretty hot." It took Sasuke a second to realize who he was talking about, and then scoffed at the idea of fucking Ino.

"Well," Sasuke slurred, "My sort-of boyfriend broke up with me, and the guy I'm in love with who won't get the fuck out of my head turns out to be my fucking roommate. I am fucking tired of all the drama and all the shit that's gone on, so I'm just going to forget." Deidara was silent at the admission. He had figured from their previous encounter that Sasuke was a lot like Itachi, but Itachi wouldn't tell his life story to someone he didn't really know all that well. Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the fact that even though they never really had a conversation before, they've known each other for years.

"What you need is some fun, not some booze," Deidara said with a grin.

"Are you offering?" Sasuke asked with a matching smirk, grabbing the blonde's ass and waggling his eyebrows.

"Not _that_ kind of fun," Deidara said, removing the raven's hands with his own. "Let's just bring you back to your room before you get any drunker. You do realize that you have classes tomorrow, right?" Sasuke shrugged.

"I'm not going back to where I have to face Naruto again," Sasuke slurred defiantly. "I am staying put."

"What if I bring you back to your mansion?" Deidara asked. "I'll stay in a guest room and you can sleep your alcohol off. I'll drive us to KU in the morning."

"I'm good here," Sasuke said, ordering a beer. He was getting tired of the taste of vodka.

"I think I'm going to have to cut you off, sir," the cute bartender said. Sasuke would have probably hit on him if he didn't just say what he said. "You can barely string along five coherent words."

"I'll show you coherent words!" Sasuke said angrily, standing up to fight the bartender. Deidara pulled Sasuke away from the bar, angering Sasuke more. "You don't have to be here," Sasuke said angrily. "Just leave me alone!"

Deidara was about to say something when Sasuke ran to the bathrooms. Deidara followed him and watched as Sasuke ran into a stall to puke his guts out.

"You okay?" Deidara asked over the sounds of Sasuke retching. A good twenty minutes later, Sasuke stood up, finished, surprised to see Deidara still there. Deidara smirked, but his smirk faded when Sasuke began to fall to the floor. Deidara rushed forward and caught the teen, who had passed out.

He carried Sasuke out towards his car, and, true to his word, brought him back to the Uchiha mansion to sleep it off.

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	15. Sasuke

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. And I'm too busy crying over not owning him to come up with a funny disclaimer. But I do happen to own that song that's in the chapter, if that makes a difference.**

**This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Fifteen: Sasuke's Descent

Sasuke grudgingly woke up the next morning in his bedroom back at the mansion. He glanced around confused as to why he was back at the mansion instead of in his dorm room when a splitting headache hit him. He groaned and fell back in his bed, memories of the previous night returning in small pieces. He remembered being at Mangekyo, and a shock of blonde hair.

'_Naruto!_' Sasuke thought, sitting up straight. But then he remembered that although it was similar to Naruto's hair, it was not Naruto who was wearing it. He groaned remembering that Deidara was the one who had caught Sasuke drinking. The memories seemed to fade, and he didn't quite remember how he got in bed last night. Thankfully he had all his clothes on and no one was in bed with him.

He grudgingly threw his legs over the side of the bed before standing up on his feet. He was still a little dizzy, so he went to his bathroom to get himself an aspirin – he'd need one before going downstairs and facing a probably livid Itachi, especially since he had a hangover right now.

But when he got downstairs, it wasn't just Itachi that he saw – Deidara was there too, as well as Kisame, Itachi's 'friend'. Sasuke groaned inwardly when all three pairs of eyes turned in his direction.

"Deidara, Kisame," Itachi said, not facing them, but rather Sasuke. "Would you please excuse my brother and I for a little bit?" Without complaint or comment, the two left the room, preparing for the short commute to the university today.

"Spare me the lecture," Sasuke spat with venom as he poured himself from coffee.

"You know how you are with alcohol," Itachi said sternly. "What in god's name could possess you to do something so stupid! You're just lucky it was Deidara who found you and not some fucking pervert!"

"You have no say in what I do!" Sasuke yelled at his brother, ignoring the fact that every sound was amplified to an excruciating degree. "You've consistently been a problem in my life, and then you'll turn around and start acting like my parent. Newsflash, Itachi – you're not my father, and you're certainly not my mother, so stop acting like it."

"I might not be your parent, but I'm your brother," Itachi said, choosing to ignore the slight pang in his heart that he felt upon hearing those words. "As for being a problem, you're making more out of it than it is. I tease you, I make fun of you, and I humiliate you on occasion. But that is no excuse to get drunk. Stop blaming me for your problems, because I know for a fact that whatever this was, it had nothing to do with me." Sasuke took a large gulp of the coffee before turning towards the door.

"You're right," Sasuke said. "It has nothing to do with you, so leave it alone."

"You're a smart kid, Sasuke," Itachi said. "Why do you constantly do this to yourself?"

"Just stay out of my life," Sasuke said, leaving the kitchen. He found Kisame and Deidara in the living room, and he glared at the shark-looking man.

"I'll drive you back to school, Sasuke," Deidara said. "Unless you want to ride with Kisame and Itachi." He smirked as the scowl on Sasuke's face deepened.

"I'll wait in the car," he said, not liking the fact that he'd have to go with any of them. As Sasuke left the mansion, Itachi emerged from the kitchen to talk to Deidara and Kisame.

"I'm worried about him," Itachi said, directed towards Deidara. "For some reason, he seems to trust you a little more than me. Please just try to make sure he doesn't get hurt."

"I'll do what I can," Deidara said, standing up to leave. "But Sasuke's a big boy. If he wants to be destructive, there's only so much I can do to stop him." Itachi nodded, and allowed the blond to leave.

* * *

Naruto walked into his art history class with a yawn and a cup of coffee in his hands. He had been slightly worried when he went to bed at 11:30 and Sasuke still hadn't gone back to the dorm; that worry grew exponentially when he woke up and saw Sasuke's bed as it was the previous night – not slept in. He resolved to tell Neji or Gaara when he next saw them, but until then, he was just going to focus on his class.

He wasn't the first in the room, but he saw that most of the classroom was empty. That was really weird considering it was just about time for the class to start. He took one of the open seats next to someone who looked like he was a nice guy. He had grayish, bluish hair that was cut short. He smiled at the boy, who smiled back. Naruto extended his hand for a handshake.

"Hey, I'm Naruto," Naruto said, shaking the pale boy's hand. His eyebrow was raised, and Naruto briefly saw he had pretty sharp teeth.

"Naruto?" the boy asked. "My name is Suigetsu." Naruto's jaw dropped and he turned away, a small blush on his cheeks.

"Oh," Naruto said, immediately recalling when he'd heard the name before. He didn't know why he felt so awkward right now, but all he wanted was for the Earth to swallow him up in that moment. "You're Sasuke's boyfriend, right?"

Suigetsu once again rose his eyebrow in surprise. "He told you about us?"

"Yeah," Naruto said. "I don't know if he told you, but I'm his roommate, and we have…sort of an awkward history."

"I know all about you two," Suigetsu said, embarrassing the blond further. What exactly did he know? About Sasuke? About Kyuubi? About that time as 'boyfriend and girlfriend'? "I was Sasuke's friend from Hebi, while everything was going on with you…" he trailed off, not exactly sure how to finish the sentence.

"Oh," Naruto said, even more embarrassed. "Well, you don't have to worry. I'm all better."

"Good," Suigetsu said with a serious expression – one that didn't seem to appear on his face all that often. "If you're going to be Sasuke's roommate, at least you're back to normal." He paused for a minute before continuing. "And by the way, Sasuke and I aren't dating."

"What?" Naruto asked, shock somewhat evident in his face. Upon hearing this, Naruto felt an unidentifiable feeling inside him, but it wasn't entirely unpleasant. But he could wonder about that later, because one question played itself in his mind. "Why would he tell me he was with you, then?"

"Well, we went on one date last week," Suigetsu admitted. "But we never were really 'going out'. And yesterday, I told Sasuke that we couldn't go on another one."

"Why not?" Naruto asked, not sure why he felt like he wanted to know so much about the relationship that never was.

"Because I'm not the one he's really in to," Suigetsu said with a shrug. Naruto couldn't identify it, but he felt like there was some subtext to the seemingly innocent statement. "It's not a problem for me. He's still my friend. I'm just not letting it going any further than that."

"I think he took that harder than you think," Naruto said quietly. "He didn't come back to the room last night."

"Believe me, Naruto," Suigetsu began, "it's not because of me. I know that he's just not all that into me." That made no sense. Why would Sasuke lie about dating someone he wasn't into? Why would he take off like that and not come back. It couldn't have been finding out that Naruto was his roommate, right? They talked that out.

"He told me he was," Naruto said, shocking Suigetsu. "He told me that he was with you, and that being with you helped him get over me." Suigetsu sighed. Naruto, who had been analyzing everything Suigetsu said and did to get some insight on why Sasuke was lying, wasn't able to determine _why_ he sighed. It almost sounded as if he was…exasperated with Sasuke. But that made no snese.

"I think that was just wishful thinking on his part," Suigetsu said. "Don't worry about Sasuke – he probably slept at the mansion last night, or something. Maybe he found someone else's bed to sleep in." He shrugged.

Naruto couldn't place it, but there was something that Suigetsu had just said that made anger boil inside him. He felt like Sasuke's virtue was under attack, and he had a need to defend it. It was crazy – Suigetsu probably knew Sasuke better than Naruto did. I mean, the only contact Naruto and Sasuke _really_ had was under entirely false pretences, while Suigetsu was Sasuke's friend – someone who had been by Sasuke's side when everything exploded between us. So if Suigetsu said it, Naruto should believe it, right? It wasn't hard to think of Sasuke as slightly promiscuous…right?

"Sasuke's not some slut," Naruto said in a low whisper, but harshly all the same. He didn't know why he felt a need to defend Sasuke to one of his own friends. It wasn't like Suigetsu even said it with malice, contempt, or any other negative emotion. He didn't even sound like he was judging Sasuke. But Naruto didn't let that stop him. "He wouldn't sleep with some random person just for the heck of it."

"No, but he does tend to do things like that when he's angry or upset," Suigetsu said. That was news to Naruto. When did Sasuke ever do that? Then again, when did Sasuke really become angry or upset in front of him? "That's how he and I ended up becoming friends-with-benefits."

"You _slept_ with him?" Naruto exclaimed all too loudly, his cheeks darkening in embarrassment once he realized the volume of his exclamation. Luckily there were only about ten kids in the class. Once again, Naruto was upset at Suigetsu, but he didn't have any reason this time. Before he could say anything else, the professor walked in. As it turned out, the ten kids in the class were all who were taking art history.

Professor Bee was a pretty eccentric professor. Even though he taught art, it was clear his true love lied with music, as he rapped pretty much every word he said. Naruto had had just about enough of the class between his professor and the kid he had _unwisely_ chosen to sit next to.

He had a free period next, so he went back to the dorms to Kiba's room to find Neji, Kiba's roommate. When he got there, he found Kiba and Gaara together doing homework for their European history class.

"Hey Naruto," Kiba said when he saw who had entered his room. "What's up?" Kiba was laying down on his bed with his head towards the foot of the bed, near his desk. Gaara sat at the desk, looking a lot more serious.

"I was looking for Neji, actually," Naruto admitted. "But Gaara will do just fine." Gaara looked up upon hearing his name and quirked an eyebrow.

"What do you need me for?" Gaara asked, a little surprised.

"I'm worried about Sasuke," Naruto admitted, causing Kiba to roll his eyes and Gaara to sigh. What was with the two of them? "He didn't come back to the room last night."

"Where was he?" Gaara asked, causing Naruto to shrug.

"Suigetsu thinks he slept at the mansion," Naruto said before explaining his meeting with Suigetsu to the two teens.

"I didn't speak to Sasuke since before he found out you were his roommate," Gaara said. "But if he slept at the mansion, then Itachi will know something about why he wasn't back here last night. You should go ask him."

"Alright," Naruto said, nodding to himself. "Where is he?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Gaara said with a shrug. Well, that was helpful. Naruto nodded and left the room in search of Itachi.

The blond finally found him at the student union sitting with a bunch of other people. First there was a guy with blue-tinted skin that Naruto had recognized from his time as Sasuke's 'girlfriend'. Then there was a guy with long blond hair, the same color as Naruto's own. He recognized him from one of his classes yesterday, as well as the red haired kid sitting next to him. Then there was a guy with deeper red hair that was even longer. Next to him was someone who appeared to be his girlfriend – a blue haired woman. Across the table from them were two twins, one wearing a black shirt and one wearing a white shirt. They had dull green hair, and one seemed much more animated than the other.

"Itachi!" Naruto called out to him, causing the older boy to turn towards him in surprise.

"Naruto-chan," Itachi said, wiping his chin with a napkin. "What can I do for you?" Naruto felt his eye twitch at the greeting Itachi seemed to choose. Jeez, you think you're a girl _one time_, and the world never lets you forget it, huh?

"My name's not Naruto-_chan_," Naruto said, glaring at the eldest Uchiha, who smirked in return. It almost reminded Naruto of Sasuke – it seemed the Uchiha brothers shared many of the same mannerisms.

"Ah, right, I forgot," he said, his hands up in mock surrender. "Forgive me, Naruto-_kun_." Naruto heard the blue guy next to him chuckle, but he didn't have the patience to get into a fight with someone who looked more shark than human.

"Do you know where Sasuke was last night?" he asked, causing the raven's eyebrows to furrow in confusion.

"Were you supposed to meet him last night for something?" Itachi asked, a small smirk playing on his lips. Naruto shook his head, wondering for a second why Itachi had asked, until he realized that Itachi probably didn't know that Sasuke was his roommate. Suddenly, the implications of Itachi's statement came to Naruto, whose eyes widened comically before he turned a slight shade of pink.

"No, I'm his roommate," Naruto explained. "Sasuke never came back to the room last night."

"He's fine," Itachi said, causing the blonde's shoulders to relax. He didn't even realize they were tense. "He slept over at the mansion for some bonding time with his older brother." Naruto snorted.

"I'm sure he'd rather sleep naked in a room filled with fan girls than sleep over at the mansion and be near you," Naruto said with a grin that turned to a straight face. "No offense."

"None taken," Itachi said with a shrug. "Deidara brought him to the mansion after he pretty much passed out at Mangekyo last night."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Sasuke was…drinking?" he asked.

"I've already given him the lecture," Itachi said. "There's no more I can do for him now." Naruto nodded and walked away, digesting the information. Sasuke was drinking, which had to be bad. Naruto remembered the one time Sasuke showed up to class drunk, which was just the start to one of the worst days of Naruto's life. Dispelling the thought, Naruto walked back to the dorms to take a nap.

* * *

Sasuke sat down in his creative writing class waiting for the professor to show up. Much like he did yesterday in his other class, he sat in the back corner not looking at anyone, just waiting until he could leave.

Finally, ten minutes after class had started; the professor finally strolled into the room, shocking Sasuke.

"Hello," the professor said with a spine chilling voice. "My name is Professor Senin, but to avoid confusion between me and my brother, you may call me Orochimaru."

Orochimaru's snake-like eyes glanced over the room and settled on Sasuke. Orochimaru smirked and licked his lips as he went over the course description, never breaking eye contact with Sasuke.

Sasuke had remembered Orochimaru as the creepy music teacher from Konoha High, but that wasn't all. About five years back, a student accused Orochimaru of sexual harassment, but there was no proof. Two years ago, another student stepped forward and said the same thing, but again, there was no proof.

That didn't mean Sasuke didn't believe it, though. There was something eerily creepy about Orochimaru, and the fact that he was staring at Sasuke while talking about the course did nothing to dissuade that fact.

As soon as he dismissed class, Sasuke tore out of there, not wanting to be one of the last few left with Orochimaru. He quickly made his way to the last class of the day, knowing that he'd be able to go back to Mangekyo afterwards.

His history professor was just as quirky as all the others. He wasn't as flirtatious as Anko, nor as perverted as Jiraya. And he certainly wasn't as creepy as Orochimaru. But there was something about him was just…insane. And not only did he sound like he was crazy, but he had quite a temper too.

Professor Kage Rai – who commanded the class to call him Raikage – had told Sasuke flat out that he didn't like him. He said that he felt like he and Sasuke had an epic battle in a previous life, and Sasuke had wanted to destroy Raikage's brother. Sasuke didn't know _where_ this lunatic got that from. It sounded like some crappy manga story.

After he was done with class, he began his walk to Mangekyo – after all, he and Deidara had left his car there last night. He had to go back to get his car, right? With an excuse and a full wallet, Sasuke headed towards the bar, ready to reexperience the previous night.

SNSNSN

By that evening, everyone had heard about Sasuke's drinking. Naruto had told Gaara and Kiba, who in turn told Sakura, Neji and Ino. And once Sakura knew, it was bound to be all over everywhere. Hinata, Suigetsu – everyone.

That didn't mean Sasuke didn't drink anymore. In fact, he had been knocking beers back for about an hour when he was approached by a large looking man who had a predatory look in his eye. He passed a shot of vodka down to Sasuke, offering him a free drink.

"I don't need a free drink," Sasuke said to the creepy guy. "And I'm certainly not drinking something that I'm not sure you didn't spike."

"Now why would I do that?" the man smirked, sending a wink to the Uchiha.

"I'm not in the mood to deal with creeps," Sasuke said, turning to the bartender to order another beer. But instead of the bartender being in front of him, he saw his uncle Madara.

"You're done getting drinks here, Sasuke," Madara said. "Not just for tonight, but for good. I've made sure all my bartenders are aware of this."

"You can't do that!" Sasuke exclaimed. "This is the only bar in town that doesn't card."

"I'll do whatever I can to make sure you're not drinking," Madara said. "It's not good for you, especially since you have school to focus on."

"Why can't you and Itachi get this through your head?" Sasuke snarled. "He's not my father, and neither are you. In fact, _you're_ the reason that Mom and Dad are dead. Where do you get off trying to act all that superior, considering what you _really_ do for a living?" What he said clearly made an impact on his uncle, but Madara continued to press on, a sad look in his eye.

"Your parent's death was a horrible tragedy," Madara said, not liking to be reminded about his mistake. "But I can't turn back time. All I can do is look after you and Itachi in their place. Your parents wouldn't want to see you like this. They'd roll over in their graves if they saw what you're turning into."

"What do you know?" Sasuke asked bitterly. "It's not like you and Dad had a good relationship, even before he died."

"Your parent's loved you," Madara said. "They'd never wanted you to grow up to be…an alcoholic."

"I'm not an alcoholic," Sasuke scoffed. "I'm just a college student with a lot of stress."

"I don't care if you're a magical unicorn who needs alcohol to keep your coat shiny and clean," Madara said sarcastically. "You're not getting another drink from here while I own this bar, so you might as well go." Sasuke scoffed, and Madara walked away to deal with another customer.

Sasuke gave a side-ways glance to the shot that the man next to him had offered him. He had a brief battle with himself before reaching over to grab it. He was about to down it when another person held his wrist tightly, stopping him. Shocked, Sasuke looked up to see Kiba standing over him. He had an angry look on his face as he wrestled the glass out of Sasuke's hand and dumped it on the guy.

"That'll teach you to try to drug someone," Kiba snarled. The man stood up to fight Kiba, but the bar's bouncer had successfully removed him before a fight was started. Kiba then rounded on Sasuke. "How the hell could you do something like that!" he yelled.

"When someone offers me a free drink, it's impolite to refuse," Sasuke said with a shrug, infuriating the brunet even more.

"How could you do that to Naruto? To Gaara?" Kiba asked, confusing Sasuke.

"Naruto has nothing to do with this," he said with a slight slur.

"Naruto has _everything_ to do with this," Kiba argued. "You were just about to let yourself get raped by some guy by letting him spike your drink. You're smarter than that, Sasuke. How could you let yourself do that after seeing what happened to Naruto after he was raped?"

"It's not the same," Sasuke said. "Who said I wouldn't have wanted to sleep with that guy?"

"Because he's a creep, and you have standards," Kiba said.

"There's a difference between date rape and violent rape," Sasuke said defiantly.

"Do you hear yourself right now?" Kiba asked incredulously. "You're trying to justify being raped by a creepy old man just because you wanted a shot. Jeez, you really _are_ bad when it comes to alcohol."

"Leave me alone," Sasuke warned. "I'm tired of you and everyone else telling me what to do. It's my life and I'll live it however I choose." Kiba sighed and let Sasuke sit back down at the bar. He pulled out his phone to call Gaara as Sasuke began trying to convince a bartender to just give him some beer on the DL.

"Hey, Gaara?" Kiba asked as the redhead picked up on the other line. "I think you should come down to Mangekyo…" He waited for Gaara's response. "Well, Sasuke's here, and he's…well, I don't think he's going to be in any condition to drive back…" Gaara was talking again. "He won't listen to me, but he might listen if you tell him to go back to the dorms…" He waited another second or so. "Alright, I'll see you soon." With that, he hung up and looked back at the raven, who was now flirting and touching a girl so she'd buy him booze.

It seemed the light touching and flirting was working for him, as he was down drinking some sort of fruity red drink. Kiba sat down at a table near the bar to keep an eye on Sasuke as he continued to extract alcohol for flirts. _'If only she knew that he batted for the other team,'_ Kiba thought with a smirk before standing back up.

He walked over to where Sasuke and this girl were sitting and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek, shocking both Sasuke and the girl.

"Hey honey," Kiba told Sasuke. "Who's your friend?"

"Go away," Sasuke said to him with venom in his voice. He then turned to the girl. "Ignore this idiot."

"This 'idiot' happens to be your boyfriend, you asshole!" Kiba lied, howling with laughter on the inside at the expression the girl had.

"Maybe I should leave you two alone," she said, standing up and walking away, taking her drink with her.

"No, wait!" Sasuke yelled after her. "He's not my boyfriend!" She didn't hear him or just didn't listen. Either way, she left, leaving a scowling Sasuke behind. Kiba cheerfully jumped down on the seat she had previously occupied and grinned at Sasuke.

"See? You're not the only one who can screw with people by pretending to be their boyfriend," he said, his grin growing wider as Sasuke's scowl got wider. Sasuke turned away from the brunet and downed the rest of his fruity drink.

Kiba stayed with Sasuke as he managed to get a bartender to slip him some drinks. He didn't interfere, but he was there if Sasuke got too out of control. Soon, he saw Sasuke deteriorate from tipsy, to drunk, to pissed off his ass. Sasuke was soon acting all silly and cheerful, making a scene in front of the other patrons with Kiba.

"You know, I think you're a good person, Kiba," Sasuke slurred as he tried to stand up without falling over. He didn't have much success, and Kiba leapt up to catch Sasuke before he fell to the ground. He helped Sasuke back to his barstool, and Sasuke continued to slur.

"No, seriously," he said. "You're, like…not my friend. But you're letting me have fun. You're much better than that meanie 'tachi." He tried to stand up again but fell on top of Kiba. Instead of picking himself off, he reached over and cupped the brunet's cheek in his hand.

"Sasuke, will you stop getting so touchy-feely?" Kiba asked, hoping Gaara would get here soon.

"Mm," Sasuke said. "You're kinda pretty."

"Seriously, Sasuke," Kiba warned. "There's a line here, and you're dangerously close to crossing it." But Sasuke ignored Kiba's warning and crossed said line, pressing his lips to the other boy's, forcefully prying his tongue into Kiba's mouth.

"What the hell is going on here?" Gaara asked dangerously from behind Kiba. Kiba pushed the raven-haired boy away at once upon hearing the voice before turning to face the redhead.

"It's not what it looks like," Kiba defended, hoping he didn't make Gaara mad or something.

"I know," Gaara said. "I saw it all happen. Sasuke get's way too promiscuous when he drinks. Jeez, Kiba, how much did you let him drink?"

"He hasn't drunken much since I showed up," Kiba said with a shrug. "But I don't think he's eaten in a while."

"Well, this is an annoyance, isn't it?" he asked as Sasuke stood back up.

"'Ey, 't's Gaara!" Sasuke said, flinging his arms around the redhead and attaching his mouth to his neck, sucking on the most sensitive spot of his body. Gaara's eyes widened along with Kiba's, and the brunet felt a feeling of anger bubbling up within him.

Gaara, once over the shock, pushed the raven off of him before turning to Kiba. "Let's bring him to the mansion again," Gaara said. "I don't really trust a horny, inhibitionless, slutty Sasuke alone with Naruto."

"That's a good call," Kiba said. Together, they helped Sasuke walk to Kiba's car. They decided that Kiba would drive them to the mansion and then Gaara would stay overnight with Sasuke to make sure he was alright while Kiba went back to the university to tell Suigetsu and Naruto that their respective roommates wouldn't be going back tonight and not to worry.

As the two sober teens walked Sasuke to the car, the raven continued slurring his words. "You know, the three of us should all just have one big threesome sometime," he said, causing Kiba to blush and Gaara to roll his eyes. "I think the three of us would make beautiful babies together." Neither Kiba nor Gaara decided to point out that not only can guys not have babies, but even if they could, they wouldn't be able to be genetically all three of theirs.

"Will you shut up?" Gaara asked as he helped Sasuke into the back seat of the car.

"'m sorry," Sasuke slurred. "You two probably don't want me joining in." This time, both of the others turned scarlet. "Doesn't matter," he said, yawning. "I'll just have babies with Naruto."

"Sure," Gaara said, rolling his eyes again and willing his blush to go down.

They got to the mansion, where Kiba and Gaara told Itachi what had happened. Itachi sighed and flipped over a table in rage, destroying a lamp in the process. They talked briefly with him before carrying Sasuke up the stairs, the latter having passed out in the car ride. After they tucked him in, Kiba looked to Gaara.

"Why is he doing this to himself?" Kiba asked, eyeing the sleeping Uchiha.

"I think it has something to do with Naruto," Gaara said. "I know Sasuke's been pretending that he's over Naruto, but he's not. I see the looks he sends to Naruto when he thinks no one's looking. He and Suigetsu broke up as soon as they found out Naruto was his roommate, probably because of his residual feelings. And now that Naruto is moving on with Hinata, it's making it harder for him. He can't confide in the people he considers friends because Neji is Hinata's cousin, and Sakura and I are her friends. He thinks that it's almost like betraying her."

"Well, I don't think that's going to be a problem for too long," Kiba said, causing Itachi and Gaara to look at him with confusion. "Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but he still makes my gaydar explode. It's not like he's flamboyant or anything, but…it's like he protests too much. It's like he's just trying to fit into everyone's image of who he should be."

"Maybe Naruto's the only one who can pull Sasuke out of his drinking problem," Itachi said from the doorway, shocking the other two at his presence. They quickly recovered, however, to respond.

"Well, if Naruto is anything, it's stubborn," Kiba said. He looked once more at Sasuke. "This might not stop for a while."

* * *

As September continued, Sasuke continued to find new and creative ways to get alcohol. He never did anything too awful for it, but he'd gone out on dates to restaurants with random girls just to get drunk. He'd pay an older person he saw on the streets to buy alcohol for him. He even started crashing frat parties at the university to get drunk.

Naruto was worried when Sasuke moved most of his stuff back to the mansion – that was where he slept after he got drunk most nights. Some nights he'd wake up in a random guy's bed, but he never stayed long enough to find out their names.

He barely saw Sasuke nowadays, and when he did, it was only briefly. And the raven was usually drunk. Naruto tried to get Sasuke to stop, but Sasuke ended up yelling at him for trying to interfere in his life. Later that night, Sasuke came back to the room to apologize, and was obviously more drunk than he was earlier. And the more drunk he was, the more daring he got. He was just about ready to grope Naruto when Neji knocked on the door and interrupted him.

That was what confused Naruto most. That night when Sasuke was all but ready to strip and say "take me", Naruto actually had to have an internal battle about what he should do about it. He didn't consider the fact that he was gay, but he was definitely more confused than he thought he was about Sasuke. He continued to focus on his schoolwork, though, especially as midterms were coming up quickly.

Sasuke was in trouble, though. He'd been confronted about his drinking multiple times by Itachi, Kakashi, Madara, Gaara, and Sakura. Not to mention Suigetsu, Ino, Neji, Hinata, and Deidara. The more he was told not to drink, the more he drank, and he was slowly starting to lose who he was. His grades were slipping, and he started feeling like he had less to live for.

Neji came up with an idea that was pretty well received. He'd decided to invite everyone to go to Mangekyo on a Thursday – it was the night that they had clubbing. They told Sasuke, but made sure that Madara wouldn't sell any alcohol that night. They hoped that having fun with everyone with no alcohol involved would help Sasuke realize he didn't need the alcohol.

He showed up sober, which was a surprise to everyone. He didn't realize how many people would be there. There was Neji, Hinata, Naruto, Kiba, Gaara, Suigetsu, Deidara, Sasori (Deidara's redheaded boyfriend), Sakura, Ino, and Itachi.

He first noticed that no one was at the bar drinking, which did put a damper on his mood. He didn't want to actually get up and dance, but he decided that he would just sit at the side of the bar and observe.

Kiba had pulled Gaara onto the dance floor a little bit ago. He had made sure to get Gaara a teeny bit tipsy to loosen him up. After all, the last time he tried to get Gaara to go on the dancefloor, he was shut down over and over. Now, Kiba and Gaara were grinding to the beat of a techno song.

He also saw Naruto and Hinata dancing together, and his glare intensified. He wished he'd had a drink now. He watched as Naruto grinded into Hinata as the song played overhead. She seemed to be having a great time, as did Naruto. But in truth, Naruto wasn't. In fact, he was a little bored. He looked up and locked eyes with the Uchiha. After a few seconds of being frozen, he redirected his attention to Hinata again, his cheeks darkening with a blush. He tried forget the two of them and just focus on the music.

**Whenever I see you, it's hard to breathe**

**And when you touch me, I get weak in the knees**

**And when I sleep, I see you in my dreams**

**You're always on my mind**

**All the time**

**I never wanted love (no, no, no)**

**But then you came along**

**And made my heart go**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**So make my heart go**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Heart go boom.**

Naruto and Hinata were all too close on the dancefloor for Sasuke's liking. _'Why do they have to flaunt their relationship in front of me?'_ Sasuke thought. _'I know I gave her permission to date him, but I thought it was only gonna be prom because of a pity date! I didn't expect her to become his girlfriend. Isn't that some sort of betrayal of _me_?'_

**I cannot think without your face coming up**

**I try to forget you, but I have no luck**

**When you look in my eyes, I know it's love**

**You're always on my mind**

**All the time**

**I never wanted love (no, no, no)**

**But then you came along**

**And made my heart go**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**So make my heart go**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Heart go boom.**

'_How can she live with herself dancing with him like that? How can _he?_ He's had my cock down his throat before. It was practically up his ass at one point. He's probably gotten further with me than he has with her. And he thinks he's straight. Why the fuck can't anything go right for me? I couldn't even get over him after we were done. It's like this is karma for something really bad I did in a previous life.'_

Naruto and Hinata got closer and he was dancing with his face buried in her neck. Sasuke was starting to claw at the bar in anger, leaving marks of his nails dug in. Naruto made movements that imitated sex and Sasuke started to see red. _'The only person he should be doing that with is me!'_ He once again tried to forget the two, and his mind drifted to the dubstep instrumental that was soon replaced by the familiar lyrics of the chorus.

**And made my heart go**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**(Heart go Boom)**

**So make my heart go**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**And make my heart go boom**

**Heart go boom**

**Heart go boom**

**Heart go boom**

**Heart go Boom, Boom, B-B-B-Boom, Boom**

**Boom.**

Sasuke stood up and hopped behind the bar. It wasn't open, so no bartenders were there. The only ones there who could stop him were Madara (who was currently grinding with some 20-something year old on the dancefloor) and the bouncer who was dealing with a situation outside.

He reached down and picked up a bottle of Grey Goose. He poured it into a shot glass and prepared to take a drink when it was snatched from his hand. He looked up to see Naruto standing in front of him. Naruto downed the shot and placed the empty shot glass down on the table.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked angrily, glaring at Sasuke. He almost looked betrayed by Sasuke wanting to drink.

"What I want to do," Sasuke replied. "You have no right to boss me around."

"I will do what I want as long as it means you don't ruin yourself," Naruto said. "Do you realize that this is the first time in a month that you're sober?"

"If I wanted someone to lecture me about the consequences of my drinking, I'd be talking to Itachi right now," Sasuke spat. "Leave me alone." He refilled the glass with more vodka, but Naruto held his wrists before he could drink it.

"Make me," Naruto challenged. Sasuke glared at him and shook his arm violently, throwing Naruto across the room. Suddenly, all eyes were on him as he downed his first shot of vodka of the night.

"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled in horror. Naruto sat up, wincing at the pain in his back from landing badly. "Naruto, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Naruto said, standing up. He then turned to Sasuke. "If you want to throw your life away by becoming the town drunk, then I think congratulations are in order. Good job, Sasuke. You're now officially the train wreck that everyone in this room had been trying to prevent you from becoming." Sasuke just glared at the blond left the bar and sighed.

"What the _fuck_ was that!" Kiba yelled at Sasuke, his question being echoed by the others.

Ino marched up to where Sasuke was and pinned him to the wall. "Do you realize what Naruto has had to go through? He's been abused and raped, and you just shoved him into a wall," she growled in a low voice. "You're one of the people he used to trust the most – one of the people he cared for most. It might not have been enough for your selfish self, but that gives you no right to abuse him just like his father did."

"_Don't_ ever compare me to Kyuubi," Sasuke warned her.

"Then stop acting just like him," Ino said. Sasuke jerked his shoulder, freeing himself from Ino. "Kyuubi had a drinking problem too." Sasuke's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, even though his back was to Ino. He looked at his hands and then up at the door that the blond had just walked out of.

Without saying another word, he took off, leaving the others behind. He saw Naruto's car parked about a block away and walked near there, knowing Naruto would have to be there to go home. On his way to the car, he passed an alley and heard a disturbing sound…Naruto's voice.

"Stop!" he yelled. "Leave me alone!" Sasuke turned to the alley and saw a man pinning Naruto up against the wall, leaning into him. The stance he had made him seem much more intimidating. Sasuke ran through the alley to where the two were. He pulled the man off Naruto and punched him in the face, breaking the man's nose.

The guy, knowing he couldn't win, decided to run. As he fled the scene, Naruto began to shake and sob as he slowly dropped to the ground, burying his face in his knees. Sasuke crouched down and tried to coax Naruto to talk to him.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto," he said. "I…I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have hit you." The blond continued to sob. "That man…what did he do?"

Naruto continued to sob for a few seconds before lifting his head. "H-He…he pulled me in and covered my mouth," Naruto said. "I-I don't k-know what he was gonna do for sure, but…"

Sasuke pulled the blond into a hug that shocked Naruto, but he didn't fight it. He just sobbed more, wetting the raven's shirt. The incident had reminded the blond so much of what Kyuubi had done to him, that it took all he could to not just snap right there. He was glad that he had gotten to the point where his mental health wasn't affected by the incident, but he couldn't focus on that positive.

"Why don't I bring you back to the dorm?" Sasuke asked softly. Naruto froze, but then slowly nodded his head. Sasuke and Naruto both stood up and headed towards Naruto's car. Naruto was still too shaken up to drive, so Sasuke took his keys and drove them back. Naruto unconsciously held Sasuke's hand as they walked back up to the dorm.

* * *

After Sasuke left, Madara decided to open the bar so he could get some more money, and the club really started to show some life. The two liveliest teens in the building happened to be a redhead with a kanji tattoo on his forehead and a brunet with scarlet tattoos on his cheeks.

Kiba and Gaara danced together and drank together, and soon, they were both utterly drunk. The end of the night saw the two of them in a secluded corner of Mangekyo with their tongues down each others' throats.

Gaara ran his hands up Kiba's muscular body under his shirt and squeezed his nipples, causing the brunet to groan into the kiss. Gaara positioned himself into Kiba's lap and continued to kiss him hard, tasting every inch of his mouth.

Gaara, not wanting to fuck in the middle of a club, reluctantly pulled himself away from the brunet and lead him by his hand to his car. Even though he was slightly inebriated, he drove off towards the university.

Kiba, who sat in the passenger seat, reached over and started playing with Gaara's cock through his jeans. Gaara moaned as his erection became harder, straining against his pants. When they reached a stop sign, Kiba unbuttoned Gaara's pants and pulled them down around his ankles. Realizing that he needed his ankles to drive, Gaara stepped out of them, leaving them on the floor of the car.

His cock was sticking straight up through the hole in the front of his boxers, aching to be touched. As the light turned green, Kiba started to play with his cock, even going in his boxers to tease his balls. Gaara moaned and threw his head back – an act that no one should do while driving. He drifted onto the left side of the road, but he regained control of the car before anything bad happened.

When they got on the highway and started going faster, Kiba increased the pace of the hand job he was giving Gaara. Finally, Gaara knew he was too close and he had to pull over before a combination of his orgasm and his inebriation caused him to kill himself and the brunet. Taking advantage of the fact that they were pulled over, Kiba pulled Gaara's underwear the rest of the way down and bent over to wrap his lips around Gaara's aching cock.

That was all it took for Gaara to start spurting his thick cum down Kiba's throat, and Kiba swallowed it all like a champ. He came up after Gaara had come down from his orgasmic high and wiggled his brows, indicating the back seat with his head. He pulled open his glove compartment and took out a condom and lube. Gaara raised his eyebrow, but was the first to shuffle to the backseat. Kiba discarded his shirt and jeans before joining the redhead.

He licked Gaara all over his chest before dropping his head to lick the redhead's ballsack. Gaara was already hard again, so Kiba decided to give him a proper blow job. He licked around the head before engulfing the thick cock all the way so that his nose was resting in the other boys red pubes. He inhaled the scent, relishing the moment.

He puffed his cheeks in and hummed around the cock in his mouth, making Gaara moan. While he continued to suck off Gaara, he opened the bottle of lube and squirted a bit onto his index and middle finger. He slowly pushed one finger into Gaara's ass, surprising the redhead. He wiggled his finger around a bit, helping Gaara adjust, before slowly pushing the next one in.

Soon, Gaara was moaning and whimpering as his ass was being scissored and his cock was being expertly sucked. He was so close…_so_ close, when Kiba's fingers brushed against his sweet spot. He called out Kiba's name so loudly that he was sure everyone all the way back at Mangekyo heard him. Kiba smirked around the cock and pulled away, hoping that he wouldn't cause the boy to cum before he was filled.

Kiba stood up as well as he could in the small car and pulled his boxer briefs down, revealing his leaking, throbbing cock. He poured some lube on it before positioning it near Gaara's asshole. Slowly, he began to push in, making Gaara yell out in a mixture of bliss and agony. Soon, he was fully sheathed in the tight hotness that was Gaara, and the redhead below him was getting impatient.

"Move," he commanded. Kiba pulled his cock almost all the way out before thrusting in hard. He continued this a few more times before picking up the pace.

"Oh, fuck," he moaned. "You're so tight…so hot…so beautiful." He leaned over as he thrust into Gaara to kiss the redhead sloppily. He pulled away only to throw his head back in pleasure. He wasn't the only one, though. For soon after the kiss, Kiba's cock brushed against Gaara's prostate, making the latter nearly jump through the roof at the intense pleasure.

Neither could hold on much longer. Kiba's speedy pace was depleting his endurance, and continually hitting Gaara's prostate wasn't doing much for the other's.

"I'm so close," Kiba moaned as he continued to thrust.

"Cum in me," Gaara said. On cue, Kiba moaned as his seed spilled into the other boy. Feeling Kiba's release, Gaara came, his seed landing on both Kiba's chest as well as his own. Kiba rode out his orgasm, hitting Gaara's prostate once more before collapsing on the redhead, exhausted. Both fell asleep, forgetting that they had left the car on. And they'd certainly forgotten that the condom they were going to use was left on the floor of the backseat.

* * *

When Sasuke and Naruto got in the room, it was already 10:30, and Sasuke helped Naruto into bed. The blond was still shaking, but at least he was done sobbing. After he was in bed, Sasuke moved to leave. He planned on going to find somewhere to drink a bit before going back to the mansion, but a voice stopped him.

"Sasuke…" Naruto began. "Will you…will you stay here tonight?" The second Sasuke heard the timid voice, he had made the decision that he couldn't leave him alone. But he had one problem. When he had essentially moved out of the dorm room, he had taken his pillow and sheets.

"Sure," Sasuke said softly, moving to the chair that was at Naruto's desk. He sat down and was happy that the blonde's chair could lean back.

After about twenty minutes, the blonde's voice rang out again.

"Are you planning on sleeping there all night?" Naruto asked from his bed.

"Yeah," Sasuke said. "Where else do you expect me to sleep?" His bed was now bare, as his bedding was all at the mansion again.

"Why don't you…why don't you come over here?" Naruto asked. "Like that night that I had that dream, and you came over to my house."

"Promise that you won't give me a morning BJ?" Sasuke asked with a smirk as Naruto's cheeks reddened in the dark. "We're going to have to be close together; it's a twin bed. Are you sure you're okay with that?" Naruto hesitated before nodding, not wanting to be alone. Sasuke stood up and stripped down to his boxers. He got into bed with Naruto, trying to ignore the fact that this had been all he'd wanted for so long. He kept his thoughts clean, however; he didn't want Naruto to feel a certain hardness in Sasuke's groin around his butt.

Soon, Sasuke drifted into sleep. And it was the first time in months that he'd actually had a good night's sleep.

**Please Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	16. Therapy

**Disclaimer: You see that Naruto in the corner, it's not mine. But I do have a knockoff Naruto for sale, and I call him 'Maruto'. I'm very original. I do have a guy named Tasuke who wants to buy him up for his own pleasure.**

**This chapter was betaed by **LoveUntilWeBleed**.**

Chapter Sixteen: Therapy

Ino was mad that she was woken up so early the next morning, especially because of how late she got back to school, but she was also a little entertained by the reason she was woken. After all, it's not every day that your gay friend calls you asking to pick him and his other gay 'friend', who just happened to fall asleep in his car after a night of drinking. They also just so happened to forget to turn the car off, so it had kept them warm all night until it ran out of gas.

Well, fuck them. She was going to help them when she was nice and ready. After all, Ino needed her morning cup of joe, or she'd be a very mean Ino. She walked into the café in the atrium of the campus center to get her coffee and ran into a familiar person there.

"Why do I always seem to run into you in the morning when I'm in a bad mood?" Ino asked Shikamaru as she stood behind him in the coffee line.

"Why are you up so early?" Shikamaru asked, confused. It was only 5:30 in the morning, and she'd be crazy to get up that early for no reason.

"I could ask you the same thing, you lazy bum," she said. "Is this why you always sleep during your father's class: you wake up before the roosters are crowing?

"My roommate just happened to wake me up early," Shikamaru said with a shrug. "I might as well get some coffee."

"Who's your roommate?" she asked out of curiosity.

"Some kid named Kimimaro," he said with a shrug. "I sort of remember him from Konoha High as one of those weird band geeks."

"Ah," Ino said in understanding. She thought she also somewhat remembered this guy who was Shikamaru's roommate.

"So you never answered what you were doing up so early," Shikamaru said with a yawn.

"It's actually a hilarious story," she said. "My friends and I went out clubbing last night, and two of them left early to fuck, but they couldn't hold off their hormones until when they got back. They pulled over on the side of the highway, got their rocks off, fell asleep with the car on, and now their car is out of gas."

Shikamaru snorted. "That's hilarious," he said. "Who was it?"

"Gaara and Kiba," Ino said with a smile. She did love gossip, and knowing what she all but knew about Gaara and Kiba meant that the entire school would know by the time they got back to the campus.

After Shikamaru got his tea, he bid farewell to Ino, who went on her way to collect Gaara and Kiba. She got in her car and drank her coffee as the radio played her favorite station. Because they were on the side of the road on the _other_ side of the highway, she had to go past them, get off the highway, and get back on.

After she got off the highway, instead of getting back on, she decided to get Kiba a gallon of gas to put in his car so it could last until he got to another station to fill it up. While she was there, she decided to fill up her own car as well.

She got back on the highway and drove down about half a mile until she saw the car pulled off to the side of the road. They were both outside the car, not looking at or talking to each other, both just looking at their feet in silence.

"Hey, you two!" Ino called out as she approached. She lifted up the little container that she put Kiba's gas in, and he smiled slightly, accepting the container. As he put the little bit of gas in his car, Ino decided to talk to Gaara.

"Sooo…" she said, trailing off. "How did this all happen?"

"I started getting tired behind the wheel of the car," Gaara lied. "Kiba had already passed out, so I just pulled onto the side of the road to sleep for a little bit."

"And you forgot to turn the car off?" Ino asked. Gaara nodded his head. "Oh, and here I was, thinking that you two had hot car sex, and that's why you forgot to turn off the car!" Kiba started choking on the other side of the car where he was listening to the conversation while loading his car. Gaara just had a light blush spread across his cheek. Ino was able to surmise what really happened based on their reaction. "Oh my god, Gaara! You're such a liar! How was it?"

"Erm, I'm ready to go," Kiba said. "I'm going to go to the gas station and fill this baby up." Gaara looked from Kiba to Ino to decide who to go with. On one hand, if he went with Ino, then he'd end up having to talk to her about sleeping with Kiba. On the other hand, if he went with Kiba, then he'd either end up talking to him about sleeping with him, or they'd go on in silence. Either way, it was better than being grilled by Ino, so he just got back in the car.

"Really?" Ino asked. "I drove all this way, and neither of you are going to tell me about it?"

"No," Kiba said shortly as he got into his driver's seat, leaving a steaming mad Ino to drink her steaming hot coffee all alone in her car on the way back. When they finally returned to the school after a car ride of silence, Gaara just left the car and went off to his class, leaving behind a very confused Kiba.

* * *

Sasuke woke up, not realizing what was happening. All of a sudden, he was having a very erotic dream about a certain blond roommate of his, and the next thing he knew, he felt a very realistic buck on his cock. His eyes shot open, and it took a few seconds for him to realize that he was not at the mansion. Then he realized what was happening.

He was in bed with Naruto.

He had a very bad case of morning wood.

And Naruto, who was sleeping, was subconsciously bucking his ass back on his throbbing erection.

Sasuke's breathe hitched as he realized what was happening, but he refused to stop it. He knew it might be taking advantage of the blond, but he couldn't help it. This was, in all likelihood, the farthest he'd ever get with the blond. He was going to take full advantage of it.

He closed his eyes so he could feign sleep if the blond woke up and snuggled tighter into the blond, relishing Naruto's smell. He wrapped his arm around his chest so that he was spooning with him, and continued to enjoy the sensation of Naruto's ass rubbing against his cock. He started to unconsciously thrust back, but tried to hold himself back.

He breathed on Naruto's neck as he felt the blond sigh and relax into the embrace. Since they were in such a rush when they got back last night, no one had set their alarms. Normally, Sasuke would be upset to miss his classes, especially so close to midterms, but he didn't care. He'd miss his classes today if it meant he could stay in bed with his blond until noon.

He felt the blond moan in his sleep as he bucked back against Sasuke's cock, and it was all the raven could do to not just get up and whack off. But he knew he should just let this dream last as long as possible, for he'd never get another chance. Then, he heard the blond moan the one thing he never thought he'd ever hear him moan.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke's breath hitched upon hearing the blonde's moan and his heart swelled. Could this mean they could have a chance? Would this mean that Naruto was finally discovering his true sexually? Did it mean that the blond would break things off with Hinata for Sasuke? Various scenarios of how the situation could play out flashed through Sasuke's mind as he snuggled in closer. Not one piece of Sasuke's front was unconnected from Naruto's back.

Finally, about an hour and a half later, he heard the blond wake up He then felt the blond tense up as he realized what was going on. Sasuke quickly pulled his hips back so that Naruto didn't feel a hardness at his back door…the last time that happened, it didn't end up so well.

Naruto stayed frozen – whether in fear, shock or pleasure Sasuke didn't know. He was still tense, but he made no move to escape.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked quietly, inquiring if the raven was awake yet. Sasuke had an internal battle over whether or not he should respond. It would be the right thing to do, but he didn't want this bliss to end, so he kept quiet, letting the blond think he was asleep.

Naruto carefully turned over, careful not to disturb Sasuke. Now, their chests were pressed together, but that wasn't all. Sasuke almost gasped when he felt that Naruto was as hard as him, and their erections were now rubbing against each other. Sasuke wanted to moan out, but forced himself to stay quiet.

Naruto propped his head up on his right hand as he stared at Sasuke with a soft smile. With his left hand, he started running his hand through Sasuke's hair, enjoying the innocent and vulnerable look that the Uchiha gave off in his sleep.

"Could I possibly be bi?" Naruto whispered to himself. "I should be disgusted by this, but instead…instead I'm enjoying it." Sasuke stayed unbelievable silent and still, letting the blond continue his monologue. "What's wrong with me? I'm in love with Hinata." Sasuke felt a pang in his chest at this, but he still felt hope. After all, it sounded as if…as if Naruto was trying to convince himself. "I can't want Sasuke, can I?" he asked himself as he ran his hands through Sasuke's hair. He shuffled a little bit, and their erections brushed against each other. Sasuke bucked his hips a bit, so that his cock was completely touching Naruto's when they were still

Naruto was shocked, and Sasuke decided to test how far he could go with this. He pretended to moan in his sleep.

"Naruto."

The blond tensed again, realizing that Sasuke was dreaming of him. And quite erotically, if his erection was any hint.

"It's…it's like I've never felt this way for someone," Naruto continued to himself. "I know that if I wanted to be with you, you'd accept me. You'd love me. I have no doubt of that. I don't fear rejection with you. With Hinata, I have to be the strong one. That's what's expected of me. But when I'm with you, it's the opposite. It's like I'm expected to be the weak one just because of our history. I can't be just weak or just strong, though. Going to you when I'm weak and her when I'm strong is confusing for all of us, and it has to stop."

"Then make a choice," Sasuke said, opening his eyes to show the blond he'd heard what he said. "Just choose between me and Hinata."

"It's not that easy," Naruto said. "I…I have feelings for both of you."

"Well, we're not going to engage in some fucked up three-way relationship," Sasuke said. "And I won't stand for being 'the other man' with you."

"I won't break up with Hinata," Naruto said, crushing Sasuke. "With her, I feel like we have a future. I know we do. With you, I don't know a thing."

"You know that you'll never feel the same way with her in your bed as you feel with me," Sasuke said, growing more bold. He straddled the blond and pressed his lips to Naruto's, closing his eyes.

His eyes opened abruptly when he felt a shove on his shoulder. The realization hit him hard that while he had decided to feign sleep and wait for Naruto to wake, he had in fact fallen asleep and the erotic encounter was, in fact, just a dream. He opened his eyes and saw a half-clothed Naruto standing in front of him.

"Sasuke, we overslept!" Naruto exclaimed, the remnants of a blush leaving his cheeks. "It's time for class."

"I don't have a class right now," Sasuke groaned, rolling over to fall back asleep. He was so disappointed that the wonderful experience he'd been having was really just a dream.

"The least you could do is get out of my bed," Naruto grumbled as he threw a shirt over his body. He quickly gathered his books and his keys before leaving for class. Right before he closed the door, though, he turned back to the Uchiha. "Oh, and…thanks for helping me last night." He left the Uchiha fully awake, his morning wood still needing to be cared for.

Alone in the room, Sasuke mentally returned to his dream and gripped his cock. He imagined Naruto kissing him back as he stroked the tip of his throbbing erection. In his mind, he replaced his hand with Naruto's, and soon with the blonde's mouth. He imagined the blonde's hands roaming over his chest, and he imagined licking the blond up and down his body. Soon, he came all over his hands and sighed.

He got up and wiped his hands off on a tissue before going to the bathroom to wash his hands. He left and was soon back at Mangekyo, ready to drink himself silly.

* * *

Naruto was too busy thinking to notice where he was going. He was planning on getting in his car to drive across campus to class so he wouldn't be late, but instead, he ended up on the familiar road out of the city towards KMH, where he had gone frequently since he was released to speak to Dr. Kishimoto.

Once he realized where he was going, Naruto briefly considered turning back, but he figured that missing _one_ class wouldn't kill him.

He got out of his car and ran up the familiar steps before reaching the door to Dr. Kishimoto's office. He knocked on it frantically before his psychiatrist opened it.

"Naruto," he observed with surprise. "I wasn't expecting you. Wasn't your appointment on Thursday?"

"It was," Naruto admitted. "But I have a really big problem."

"Very well," Dr. Kishimoto said, allowing the blond into the room. "You're just lucky that one of my patients who I was going to be seeing right now had a small meltdown this morning."

"Heh, lucky me," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck. He sat down in the familiar leather couch as Dr. Kishimoto took his seat at his desk chair.

"So, what is this really big problem of yours?" he asked.

"Well, there are a few problems," Naruto admitted.

"Sasuke?" the psychiatrist guessed, seeing as the raven seemed to come up in some fashion every time Naruto came to see him.

"Uh, he is one of them, I guess," Naruto said sheepishly. He took a breath and started to tell his doctor about the incident that happened at last night's party. "We all went to Mangekyo for a good time – midterms are coming up, and we decided to take one stress-free night. Hinata and I were having a really good time dancing together, and Sasuke was just sitting at the bar – not drinking, 'cause there was no alcohol last night." Dr. Kishimoto nodded and readjusted his seating to continue listening to the blonde's story.

"Well, after one of the songs, I looked up and saw Sasuke behind the bar trying to get some of liquor, so I stopped him," Naruto said. "We got into a little bit of a fight, and he shoved me."

"How do you feel about that?" Dr. Kishimoto asked.

"I don't know," Naruto admitted. "I used to really like Sasuke – not sexually or anything, but he was so good to me when I was…sick, and after I found out he was my roommate, I was a little excited because I expected Sasuke would become one of my best friends. I mean, you don't go through what we went through without being close." Dr. Kishimoto nodded, but he felt a big 'but' coming on.

"But," Naruto began – _'Ah, there it is,'_ Dr. Kishimoto thought – "He started drinking and becoming distant – not just from me, but from Sakura, Gaara and Neji, too. He just seemed to withdraw, and I hardly saw him. He'd just be sleeping at his mansion, to the point where he pretty much moved out. I really wanted to be friends with him, but he made it pretty clear that that was unwelcome.

"But for him to…shove me, and get physical," Naruto continued. "I just…it took me by surprise."

"Why's that?" Dr. Kishimoto asked.

"I guess…I guess I just thought that Sasuke wouldn't do that," Naruto said. "I hoped Sasuke was still the same guy that had killed my father to protect me. But…it's like he's changed. He wasn't even drunk when this happened."

"It sounds so far like Sasuke should be sitting here right now in therapy, not you," Dr. Kishimoto observed with a smile. "He's certainly had his fair share of issues recently."

"Well, after he shoved me, I just left," Naruto continued. "I was on my way back to my car when someone pulled me into an alley." Suddenly, Dr. Kishimoto's face got even more serious and he solemn.

"What happened?" Dr. Kishimoto asked with concern.

"He…he started saying things to me," Naruto said. "He…he was wearing a hoodie, so I couldn't see his face very well. And he started…touching me."

"Did he…" Dr. Kishimoto trailed off. Naruto shook his head violently, trying not to start breaking down.

"He was going to," Naruto said, choking up. "And I couldn't fight him off because I was just…I was too shocked. And then, I just…accepted it. I resigned myself to…going through that again, and possibly another year of mental insanity. But then, as he was about to…" he trailed off, not being able to say the r-word. "Sasuke showed up." Dr. Kishimoto's face showed the appropriate amount of relief and surprise at this. "And he tore the guy off me, and beat him up a little. The guy ran away, but I started falling apart."

"That's completely understandable," Dr. Kishimoto said. "It's hard enough to go through that experience once – especially considering who put you through it – but to go through it twice is…unimaginably appalling."

Naruto nodded, closing his eyes to prevent himself from crying again. "Why does this keep happening to me?" he asked, beginning to sob.

"It's not your fault," Dr. Kishimoto said. "You do know that, don't you?" Naruto nodded through his tears.

"But…but who's to say this won't happen again?" Naruto asked. "What if Sasuke didn't happen to show up at the right time? What if there's no one to save me next time? And now I feel like such a girl, needing to be saved all the time!"

"Naruto, you can't live your life waiting to be raped again," Dr. Kishimoto said. "I know it took a long time to get over that experience, and this was definitely a huge setback, but it's not like those this incident had anything to do with the incident with your father."

"I know," Naruto said. "I know that in my head, but…I can't help but feel…helpless. I mean, it's like I need Sasuke to save me, and he always seems to. But I just can't go on like that. I can't keep being a powerless, needy, vulnerable damsel in distress, but…it's like no matter how much I try to get over what Kyuubi did to me, I'll never get over it."

"I don't know if it's possible to 'get over' what you were put through at the hands of your father, Naruto," Dr. Kishimoto said. "That's a part of who you are – a part of your history. You don't need to forget it; you just need to learn to live with it. You need to find some way to move on, but not forget. Forgetting won't be healthy for you or anyone around you."

"I can't keep letting this get in the way of my life!" Naruto exclaimed. "I've always been the freak. At first it was I accidentally killed my best friend when I was 7."

"That wasn't you," Dr. Kishimoto said. "That was your alternate personality. Whatever he did was _his_ actions, not yours."

"But that's not how everyone else saw it," Naruto said. "And when I was finally to get away from that and move to Konoha, I got a small taste of normality. I had friends. And then Sasuke came and made me pretend to be his boyfriend, and everyone thought I was gay. And then Kyuubi…he did what he did to me, and I became a girl, and then I just had some sort of selective memory bullshit! And now that I'm finally starting to move on – I'm in college, I have a perfect girlfriend and amazing friends – I still can't get away from what Kyuubi did to me, and I still can't get away from –" he stopped before he finished his sentence.

"Can't get away from what?" Dr. Kishimoto asked, but Naruto shook his head.

"It's not important," he said dismissively.

"Naruto," Dr. Kishimoto warned. "You have to be honest with me, or else this therapy won't help you at all."

Naruto closed his eyes and sighed. "After Sasuke fought the guy off, I was so out of it. It was late, so Sasuke took me home, and I…I asked him to stay the night with me."

"Did you and Sasuke have sex?" Dr. Kishimoto asked, shocked almost to silence.

"No!" Naruto yelled. "We just, slept in the same bed, that's all."

"Why did you ask him to stay with you?" Dr. Kishimoto asked.

"I…I don't know," Naruto said in a soft voice. "I just…I felt like I was safe with him there. It…comforted me to know he was there." Dr. Kishimoto nodded, allowing Naruto to go on. "And then, when I…when I woke up…we were…it's hard to explain." He felt his cheeks redden extremely.

"I'm sure you can try," Dr. Kishimoto said.

"We…were sort of…_cuddling_," Naruto mumbled.

"Excuse me?" his psychiatrist asked. "My hearing is not what it used to be, you must speak up."

"I said we were cuddling!" Naruto yelled before going silent with his blush even stronger than it had been before. Dr. Kishimoto's eyebrows were both raised in surprise.

"And…how did that make you feel?" he asked, unsure of how Naruto would react to this.

"I...I had a raging boner!" Naruto yelled, embarrassed in spite of himself. "God help me, I kind of liked it! And I don't know why!"

The room was silent as Naruto recovered from the myriad of emotions he had experienced in the office. Embarrassment, anger, hurt, confusion. Dr. Kishimoto honestly had no idea how to proceed – he was just given so much information. Should he address Sasuke, or the almost-rape, or the feelings of helplessness that Naruto was obviously experiencing? Or should he instead focus on the fact that Naruto still had to learn to deal with his rape? It was the tricky patients like Naruto that made him wonder how he did it.

"Are you sure you're not gay, or at least bisexual?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. "I know we've addressed your feelings for Sasuke and your sexual orientation while you were admitted here, but it seems the situation's changed dramatically."

"I'm not gay!" Naruto yelled out. "I can't be gay!"

"Why is it an impossibility?" Dr. Kishimoto asked curiously.

"It's…hard to explain," Naruto said, avoiding Dr. Kishimoto's eyes.

"Well, you can certainly try," the psychiatrist said.

"Well, how could someone get raped up the butt and then like it?" Naruto asked crudely before shaking his head. "It doesn't matter, though. I'm not gay, and I'm in love with Hinata."

Dr. Kishimoto was silent. Suddenly, he was able to piece together all the pieces of the puzzle that was Naruto. He had feelings for Sasuke, but wouldn't admit it because his father had scarred him too much. Instead, Naruto latched on to his idea of what is considered 'normal', like Hinata (who others would see as the perfect girlfriend).

This understanding didn't matter much, though. Dr. Kishimoto reminded himself that his job was not to force the blond into discovering himself and accepting it, his job was to help him cope with life once he realized his sexuality all on his own. He had to let Naruto discover this for himself.

"How do you feel about Sasuke after everything that happened yesterday?" Dr. Kishimoto asked.

"I don't know!" Naruto exclaimed. "When he's drunk, he's an asshole, but when he's sober, he's…well, I think he still thinks he's in love with me. He gets very protective, and he reminds me of the same Sasuke that cared for me when I thought I was a girl. And that's even more confusing. I feel so bad because if it wasn't for me _needing_ him before, he wouldn't have any romantic feelings towards me whatsoever. It's like I made him fall for me and then pushed him away. But at the same time, I can't force myself to love him."

"What do you mean he _thinks_ he still loves you?" Dr. Kishimoto asked confused.

"I don't think he really loves me," Naruto said. "It's probably just an infatuation that will go away eventually." Dr. Kishimoto was silent for a long moment before he spoke up again.

"Tell me more about your relationship with Hinata," he said, changing the conversation away from Sasuke. "I know you couldn't make it to the prom with her because you were committed, but how has your relationship evolved since then?"

"It's nice," Naruto said. "After I got out, we went to my favorite ramen place, and we had dinner together. Since then we've grown closer."

"You said before that you were in love with her," Dr. Kishimoto commented, trying to push Naruto down the conversation he wanted to talk about.

"I am," Naruto said. "She's perfect."

"Are you two sexually active?" he asked, causing Naruto to blush and sputter.

"I don't really want to answer that," he said.

"Fine," Dr. Kishimoto said. "How do you feel when you're with her?"

"I feel…comfortable," Naruto said. "Peaceful, almost."

"There's a spark?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. "You're relationship isn't monotonous or dull, is it?"

"Not really," Naruto said. "I mean, maybe a little bit, but we're still in the beginning of the relationship. That'll change, won't it?"

"It might," Dr. Kishimoto conceded. "Do you feel…emasculated when you're with her?" Naruto showed confusion at the word. "Let me rephrase that. You said earlier that you feel like being with Sasuke made you feel powerless, needy, and like a 'damsel in distress'. Does being with Hinata make you feel like that?"

Naruto shook his head vigorously. "Hinata makes me feel strong. It makes me feel like I'm power_ful_. It's…it's nice to know I'm needed sometimes." Dr. Kishimoto nodded, piecing together more of the puzzle together regarding Naruto's reluctance to be with Sasuke.

"How do you think Hinata would have reacted if she found you last night instead of Sasuke?" Dr. Kishimoto asked, and Naruto's face contorted into that of an emotion that Dr. Kishimoto couldn't recognize.

"I…I don't know," Naruto whispered. "I'm sure she wouldn't have been able to fight him off…it would have just ended badly for her."

"How would you have felt if she saw you like that?" his psychiatrist asked. "She's so used to you being the strong one, do you ever show vulnerability around her?"

"I try not to," Naruto admitted.

"Do you think it's healthy?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. "If you're really in love with her, then you must be considering being with her forever. Is it really healthy for you or your relationship to only show the 'tough' side of you and not the rest?"

"When you put it like that, no," Naruto said. "But I don't want people to see me as the weak guy. I mean, it was humiliating enough to have everyone know that you thought you were a girl. I don't want to go through that again."

"That's perfectly understandable," Dr. Kishimoto said. "But you have to learn to live without hiding who you truly are, especially from the people you love. There's no one on Earth who's always strong."

"Sure there are," Naruto said.

"Name one," Dr. Kishimoto challenged the blond.

Naruto opened his mouth and spoke the one name that immediately came to his mind. "Sasuke." He then realized what he said, and grew silent.

"I'd argue the opposite," Dr. Kishimoto said. "If anything, I'd say that Sasuke has only been showing his weak side lately with his drinking."

"Yeah, but he's always strong when he's sober," Naruto said.

"What if he isn't?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. "What if he's just doing to you what you're doing to Hinata and only showing you the strong side of him?"

"Why would he do that?" Naruto asked absentmindedly.

"Why do you do it to Hinata?" Dr. Kishimoto asked.

"Because I want her to think that I'm always strong," Naruto said. "That way, she'll think I'm dependable, and I'll always be there for her." Dr. Kishimoto smiled smugly and sat back in his chair, waiting for realization to dawn on Naruto. Slowly, confusion turned to realization, as the reality of the situation dawned on Naruto.

"Sasuke…" Naruto began but he trailed off. He then shook his head as if trying to get rid of the thought he almost voiced. "It doesn't matter. Even if his feelings for me are real, he has to know that I'm not gay."

"I want you to do something before our next session," Dr. Kishimoto said. "I want you to write down a letter to Kyuubi – tell him how you feel about him, what he did, anything – and then go to his grave and read it."

"But…" Naruto began, but he was interrupted.

"No buts," Dr. Kishimoto ordered. "You are to do this. If you don't you will never be able to move past what he did to you."

With that assignment in mind, Naruto left his therapist's office to go back to the school. His only class all day was over, so he decided he'd go back to his dorm room to begin writing the letter.

* * *

"I think we have to talk," Kiba told Gaara in the food court. He had been looking for the redhead since after his first class, but couldn't find him anywhere. He finally decided to give up and get some food when he found him.

"About what?" Gaara asked, ignoring the situation as he took a sip of his Snapple.

"About what?" Kiba repeated. "I can't believe you just asked me that!" His voice grew soft and he leaned in towards the redhead so no one else could hear him. "We had fucking sex last night!"

"I don't see why it has to be such a big deal," Gaara said with a shrug, picking up his sandwich. "We were both drunk. Don't worry; it's not all that important."

"I don't know about you, but when something like that happens, I consider it to be a very big deal!" Kiba exclaimed. "I think it's obvious that I like you. I can't just have random drunken sex with someone that doesn't mean anything to me."

"Well, who was the last person you had sex with?" Gaara asked. "They obviously didn't mean that much to you, because you've never had a real relationship."

Kiba was silent for a moment, and he looked away from Gaara before he spoke up again. "You were my first," he said. "There was no 'last person'." Gaara's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open a bit. "But if it really meant nothing to you, then I guess I should go." He got up to leave, but stopped when Gaara grabbed his arm and pulled him back down onto the seat.

"You…You were a virgin?" he asked. Kiba looked away again as a small blush tinted his cheeks. "I…I thought you would have been with a lot of people."

"I never found someone who I would want to have remembered as my first," Kiba said, still not making eye contact. "I was hoping to wait for someone special." Gaara's heart clenched in his chest.

"I…I was a virgin too," Gaara said, surprising Kiba. The brunet looked up into Gaara's eyes.

"But…you've known about your sexuality for a long time now," he said. "How were you still a virgin?"

"Sasuke and I used to fool around a bit when he first discovered he was gay," Gaara said, "but it never got far enough. I guess…I guess I also wanted my first time to be special."

"Does this mean you like me too?" Kiba asked, surprised that he actually was having feelings for the redhead. In the past months, they'd become somewhat close as friends, but he hadn't realized that his feelings might have run deeper. He was reminded of the time he'd kissed Gaara at the mall to get rid of that kid who had been stalking him.

"I'm not very good at the whole 'feelings' thing," Gaara admitted. "But…I think I do like you." Kiba's mouth widened into a smile.

"It's Friday," he said randomly.

"Very observant," Gaara teased with a smirk.

"Shut up," Kiba said. "I meant that we can go out tonight."

"Midterms start on Monday," Gaara said. "Are you sure you'd rather not study?" Kiba smiled and put his hand over Gaara's ignoring the blush that was spreading over his cheeks.

"Taking an hour or two out of my night won't hurt me that much," Kiba said. "So what do you say? You wanna go out on a date with me?"

After a moment's hesitation, Gaara replied. "Sure," he said with an uncharacteristic smile. This was not a smirk like he usually had on, and it was not a smug sort of smile. Kiba realized that he liked it when Gaara smiled, and it was contagious. His grin widened.

"Alright!" he said, hopping up. "I have my last class of the day in about twenty minutes, but I'll pick you up at your room tonight at 7:30, alright?"

"It's a date," Gaara said, his smile still plastered on his face. Kiba leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to the redheads before pulling away.

"I'll see you at 7:30, then!" he said, leaving to go to his next class. Gaara smiled and returned to his sandwich.

* * *

Sasuke sat at Mangekyo drinking some tequila, ignoring the man who had been hitting on him for a half hour who was sitting on the next barstool.

Madara walked into the bar and the first thing he saw was Sasuke drinking, which put a scowl on his face. He made his way over to the bar and glared at the bartender.

"Didn't I tell you that he doesn't get served?" Madara asked, getting Sasuke's attention.

"M-Mr. Uchiha," the bartender said. "H-He told me that you two had a talk and that you were letting him drink again."

"From now on, you get your orders from _me_," Madara said dangerously. "If you serve him one more drink, you're fired."

"Y-Yes sir," he said. As Madara approached Sasuke, the raven downed his drink so that his uncle couldn't take it away from him.

"You can't keep doing this, Sasuke," Madara said. "I won't let you into this bar anymore. If I see you here again, I'll have you arrested for trespassing."

"You can't do that!" Sasuke said. "You're not my boss."

"Do you even realize what you're doing to yourself?" Madara asked. "Your parents are rolling over in their graves looking at you and what you're doing."

"Don't you _dare_ talk about my parents," Sasuke said darkly. "Not when you're the one who put them in their graves."

"I've said it before and I'll say it again," Madara snarled. "Their death was an accident."

"If you didn't come back into my parent's lives, they'd be alive."

"I beat myself up every day for that," Madara said. "But I love my brother, and I loved your mother as well. Just like I love you and your brother."

Sasuke scoffed. "When were you ever there for me or Itachi?" Sasuke asked. "We could go years at a time without seeing you. Whenever we needed an adult, you weren't there, Kakashi was. Don't even pretend that you care for me."

"I didn't see you often because I didn't want to put you in danger," Madara said. "You of all people should realize that. After what happened to your parents, do you think you'd be any better off if you lived with me, or even saw me regularly? You'd be in the dirt right next to your parents."

"You pretend to be all high and mighty," Sasuke said, ignoring his uncle as he stood up from his barstool. "But you don't have a right to judge me. I might drink, but at least I'm not a murderer." Sasuke left the bar, leaving his uncle momentarily speechless.

Madara sighed as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number that he hadn't dialed in years. He put the phone to his ears and waited for the person on the other side to pick up.

"It's Madara," he said into the receiver. "It's about Sasuke. He's drinking again, and I think he might need your help."

**Please Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	17. Intervention

**Disclaimer: Here's my logic: I create a character in my story called Masashi Kishimoto. I now own Masashi Kishimoto, who owns Naruto. So now I own Naruto, right? Right?**

**This chapter was betaed by **LoveUntilWeBleed**.**

Chapter Seventeen: Intervention

Kakashi found Sasuke sitting in Konoha Park, drinking a bottle of some sort of alcohol, possibly brandy or vodka. He sighed. How far had he fallen? He and Sasuke had seen each other often over the summer, so it shouldn't be a surprise that this is why Sasuke had stopped coming to see him.

Kakashi looked at his godson sitting on the bench like any random homeless person and sighed, cursing his parents for leaving him like this. After his parent's deaths, Sasuke had started drinking, but Kakashi was able to stop it quickly. After he found out the _reason_ his parents died, it was much harder for him to pull Sasuke out of the abyss.

But both times, he was able to do it. He identified the problem, what was making Sasuke drink, and he made sure he could talk some sense into Sasuke. He'd try to show him the love that his parent's had for him, and the love that he, Kakashi, had for him. It was better when Sasuke made more friends, too.

But now, Kakashi was at a loss. He blamed himself, in part for that. He had been so busy with work due to the start of the school year that he hadn't spoken to Sasuke since he had started college. It was for that reason that Kakashi couldn't really understand what pushed Sasuke to drink, but he had a feeling it had to do with one of two things: Suigetsu or Naruto.

In their last few conversations, Sasuke had been telling Kakashi about Naruto, and how he didn't want to keep having feelings for him, but he couldn't forget the blond. It was stressing out Sasuke almost as much as the drama surrounding his parents' death years earlier.

The only other reason that Sasuke could be drinking was Suigetsu. Sasuke had told him that he and the other teen had become 'fuck buddies', but Kakashi was skeptical of the arrangement. Sasuke obviously had residual feelings for Naruto, and to try to cover them up by engaging in a superficial relationship with a friend couldn't possibly help him.

He gathered up all the courage he'd need to talk sense into Sasuke before walking over to the bench he was sitting on. Sasuke didn't even notice his godfather until he sat down next to him.

"Kakashi," he stated simply as he took another drink of alcohol. Whatever it was he was drinking, he smelled like a drunk from the other side of the bench.

"Long time no see," Kakashi said, looking straight ahead and not at his godson. "Madara told me that you were drinking, but I didn't realize it was this bad."

"Can we get the lecture over with?" Sasuke asked. "I'm really not in the mood."

"What was it this time?" Kakashi asked. "Was it Naruto?" Sasuke snorted before taking another drink. "You can't let him get to you like this. Do you really want to ruin your life just for some foolish boy? Think of your future."

"What future?" Sasuke asked. "I'm losing my friends, I'm doing poorly at school, and on top of that, the only person I've ever felt for with all my heart is dating a _girl_," he said, spitting out the last word like it was poison.

"Did I ever tell you about the time that your father and I got into a huge fight over a girl?" Kakashi asked. "It was when we were still kids – probably about 15 or 16, and we were still living in Tokyo. It was a girl named Rin, and she was the most beautiful woman in the world – save for your mother, of course."

Sasuke took another gulp of the drink, but Kakashi continued. "I was in love with her, but your father also had a crush on her – this was a few months before he met your mother. Anyway, we decided that we'd have a contest to win Rin's heart, and, naturally, he won. He dated her for about a week before he met your mother, and then he just broke up with her.

"Anyway, she was so upset, that I swooped in to the rescue, and Rin and I eventually fell in _real_ love," Kakashi continued. "Unfortunately, her feelings for me faded, and she ran off with another man, leaving me heartbroken. I've never fell in love since then."

"What's your point?" Sasuke asked bitterly.

"My point is that I know what it's like," Kakashi said. "I had to see Rin and her new boyfriend all the time, and she eventually married him. I was at the wedding, and I watched the love of my life marry another man. I know it's hard to watch the person you love love someone else."

Finally, Sasuke looked to his side at Kakashi, and the older man's heart broke at seeing Sasuke's eyes. He'd known for a while that even when his face was impassive, Kakashi could find Sasuke's true feelings in his eyes. And right now, his eyes just showed a broken man. Sasuke was already broken at the young age of 18, just like Kakashi himself had been.

"Does the pain ever go away?" Sasuke asked, his voice shaky.

"It won't ever go away, but it'll lessen," Kakashi said. "It was hard for me to keep going, and it got even worse when she had a kid with the other man. And then she died, and it was like my heart broke all over again. She would never come back to me. Even before, there was always some hope, but once she's dead, it's gone. The hope, the chance, the possibility – it's all gone.

"But you – you still have a chance," Kakashi continued. "I know Naruto – he was in my class. I know you do have true feelings for him, and I think there's a chance he might return your affection. But even if he doesn't, or he does but never realizes it, drinking won't solve your problems. It might seem like it'll dull the pain, but it only makes it worse.

"You're blessed to have friends like Gaara, Neji and Sakura," Kakashi said. "If I recall, Hinata was also your friend before, even if she's with Naruto now. But you're acting stupid. You keep pushing them away. Same with Itachi, Madara, and everyone else who has your best interests at heart. You have a wonderful support system who would help you through this tough time if you'd just let them. Just like your father helped me."

"I…I don't want to stop drinking," Sasuke said. "It helps ease the pain."

"What do you think your parents would say if they knew that you were drinking?" Kakashi asked.

"They're dead," Sasuke said. "They don't matter anymore. Uncle Madara made sure of that."

"You don't know as much as you think about your Uncle Madara," Kakashi said. "You think that he did what he did without consequences, but he's lost more than you or I have."

"What has _he_ lost?" Sasuke asked. "His brother? It's not like they were close."

"Do you remember your cousin, Obito? Madara's son?" Kakashi clarified.

"Vaguely," Sasuke said. "He went away when I was three or four. Mom and Dad never told me where, exactly."

"He died," Kakashi said, shocking Sasuke. "And it was for the exact same reason your parents died – wrong place at the wrong time." Sasuke was silent, and for a few moments, Kakashi let him contemplate. "His mother died as well," Kakashi said. "It was a few years before you were born.

"His wife was also in the wrong place at the wrong time – it seems to happen to a lot of Madara's family, doesn't it?" Kakashi asked. "It was such a shame, too. His wife was the most beautiful person I've ever met." Sasuke's eyes widened at this, and he looked to Kakashi for confirmation. "Yes, when Rin left me, she got together with your uncle, and they got married. They had your cousin Obito, and then she died. Then, only about three years later, Obito died. And then, about five years later, his brother and sister-in-law died. So don't think that your uncle has led a life without pain and loss."

"He…He told me that that's why he stayed away from me and Itachi after Mom and Dad's deaths," Sasuke said, still staring blankly in front of him. "So many people died…because of him?"

"Madara beats himself up over it every single day," Kakashi said. "Not a day goes by when he hasn't wished that they had gotten him instead the first time. Instead, he's lost family member after family member."

"That doesn't change anything," Sasuke said.

"Of course it doesn't," Kakashi said. "But you never told me what your parent's would think about your drinking."

"I know they'd be disappointed!" Sasuke yelled out. "I know that I'm an embarrassment to my family, but I don't fucking care! I don't fucking care! Drinking makes me feel better, and I won't let you convince me to stop again. I'm legally an adult now, so you can't even throw me in rehab or anything now, so you and Itachi and Neji and Sakura and Gaara and Hinata and Suigetsu and Naruto and Ino and Kiba and Madara are all going to have to get used to me drinking!"

"Then I guess I failed," Kakashi said. "When your parents named me your godfather, they wanted me to be able to watch out for you, even more so now that they're gone. I don't know if I'll ever be able to face my friend knowing that I let this happen to you." Kakashi stood up as Sasuke took another drink from his bottle. He walked away without another word to the raven.

When he was far enough away from Sasuke, he pulled his phone out and called Itachi.

"Itachi, it's Kakashi," Kakashi said. "I need you to find Gaara, Sakura, Neji, and any other friends of Sasuke as soon as possible."

"_Is everything okay?"_ Itachi asked from over the phone. _"Did something happen to Sasuke?"_

"Not yet," Kakashi said. "But something bad is bound to happen if we don't get him to stop drinking." He got into his car and turned it on. The call was transferred from the phone to the car's speakerphone, and he continued to talk as he left the park. "I think it's time Sasuke has an intervention."

* * *

Gaara finally found Sasuke after almost an hour of searching. Itachi had called him then and had informed him of Kakashi's plan to stage an intervention for Sasuke, and simultaneously enlisted him to find Sasuke, sober him up, and then bring him to the Uchiha mansion. Where did he find him, you ask? He was lying down on a bench, an empty bottle on the ground next to him. He didn't look like he was passed out, but he wasn't looking amazing either.

"Get up," Gaara ordered when he finally got to the bench.

"Shut 'p," Sasuke slurred. "I don't want your help. God, is it Annoy Sasuke Day?"

"I said stop being a whiny bitch, and GET UP!" he yelled, yanking the larger boy up. Sasuke shoved Gaara back, but he caught his balance. "Seriously, Sasuke, what the fuck? Do you not see what the alcohol is doing to you?"

"It's helping me," Sasuke said. "I'm not going to stop, so you might as well give up."

"I didn't come here to lecture you," Gaara said. "I came here to get you showered and sobered up enough for a surprise."

"What kind of surprise?" Sasuke asked with narrowed eyes.

"You obviously don't understand the concept of surprise," Gaara drawled. He suddenly sighed and looked up at Sasuke. "Sasuke, I need you to be my friend right now. Please, just put your drinking binge on hold for one night."

Sasuke looked at Gaara, and he realized that he was being a pretty big jerk. He knew he was a bad drunk, but he hadn't really taken anyone else's feelings into account. He sighed, resigning himself to this surprise.

"Fine," Sasuke said. "What's wrong?"

"I'll tell you after you have a cold shower, a big lunch and a cup of coffee," Gaara said. "There's no point in telling you now when you're so drunk you'll only pass out and forget everything." Sasuke was going to retort angrily back, but he decided to just give in. Besides, it's not like a free meal and cup of coffee would hu rt. He was pretty hungry anyway.

They had gone back to the dorm for Sasuke to shower. While he was in the shower, Gaara texted Itachi and told him that he'd take Sasuke out to eat and then bring him to the mansion. Besides, Gaara wanted to tell him about Kiba.

After Sasuke was showered and changed, they decided to go to the restaurant across the street from Ichiraku. Sasuke, being an Uchiha, didn't need a reservation, and they were immediately seated.

"So what's going on?" Sasuke asked as the waiter handed them their menus.

Gaara was silent for a minute, and Sasuke noticed he had a slight red tinge on his cheeks. At the same time, he looked worried.

"I have a date tonight," Gaara said quietly.

Sasuke looked shocked. Quite frankly, Gaara didn't expect anything less; since he'd come out to Sasuke three years ago, not once did he ever actually seem interested in anyone beyond an appreciation of their looks. He'd never had a crush, as far as Sasuke knew, and he most certainly never had a relationship.

"Congratulations," Sasuke said dumbly. "Uh, with who?" Gaara mumbled something unintelligible. "I'm sorry, who?" Sasuke asked, not hearing the name of Gaara's date.

"Kiba," Gaara said, this time loudly and clearly enough for the Uchiha to hear. And Gaara knew that he heard, based on the expression that had come over him. He had a mixture of happiness, disapproval, caution, and something else Gaara couldn't pinpoint. "I think I've been attracted to him for a while, but then something happened last night after the party."

"What happened?" Sasuke asked, wondering if he should tell Gaara of the situation with Naruto.

"Well, when you left, your uncle brought the alcohol out," he said, avoiding looking in Sasuke's eyes. "And Kiba and I both got drunk."

"I'm probably going to have to yell at you for being a hypocritical, judgmental ass in a few minutes," Sasuke admitted. "I'd do it now, but I want to hear the rest of the story."

"Well, Kiba and I…" Gaara trailed off. "We ended up finding a nice secluded corner in the bar and started to make out…a bit."

"How much is a bit?" Sasuke asked.

"I'd say second base, almost third," Gaara admitted. Sasuke smirked.

"It's about time you got that stick out of your ass and started enjoying your sexuality," Sasuke said.

"That's…not all," Gaara said. "Well, we were both drunk, but I could still drive, and –"

"Okay, now I have to say something," Sasuke said, interrupting the redhead. "So everybody and their uncle have been telling me _I_ have a drinking problem, and then you get drunk with Kiba, tongue fuck his mouth, and drive drunk. And you think _I_ have a drinking problem."

"I _know_ you have a drinking problem," Gaara corrected. "That doesn't mean I handle my liquor well. Anyway, like I was saying. While I was driving, Kiba got a little…frisky."

"A little?" Sasuke asked, a smirk on his face.

"Yeah," Gaara said. "It wasn't too big a deal, except he…gave me a hand job."

"Wow," Sasuke said, leaning back in his chair. "So you're telling me that Gaara, who has been pretty _a_sexual up till this point, went all the way to first base with someone you just started kissing an hour before? If I wasn't too busy being jealous that you got some, I'd be pretty stunned right now."

"Well, there's more to be jealous about," Gaara said, prompting Sasuke to raise an eyebrow in surprise.

"Just how far did you go with Kiba last night?" Sasuke asked.

"All the way," Gaara mumbled, and for the first time, Sasuke was unable to hide his thoughts in any capacity as he dropped his jaw at Gaara. "It was so intense that I pulled over, and then…well, we got in the back of his car and the rest is history."

Sasuke smirked. "And now you're going on a date," he observed. "So your first time must have been pretty good." Gaara glared at Sasuke a bit, but blushed nonetheless. He hated when Sasuke flaunted his, Gaara's, inexperience. He didn't do it often, but every now and then, a stray comment about being a virgin was uttered.

"Well, I was going to just ignore it," Gaara said. "We left the car on after we…did it."

"Oh for fuck's sake, Gaara, just say sex," Sasuke said rolling his eyes.

"Anyway, after we _had sex_, we forgot to turn the car off, and it ran out of gas," Gaara explained. "Ino had to come rescue us. Then earlier today, we talked and I found out that it was his first time too. We both liked it, so he asked me out on a date tonight."

"Pretty nice," Sasuke said. "I wish _I_ had a sappy love story like you do."

"I don't think I'm gonna go," Gaara said, surprising Sasuke once more. "I think I'm just going to tell him that I got sick or something."

"No way," Sasuke said. "I don't like Kiba – at all – and I would love nothing more for you to find someone better than him, but you actually seem to like him. And since we've become friends, I don't think I've ever seen you like a guy. I think you're just nervous. I don't think I've ever seen you nervous, either."

"I'm not nervous," Gaara said. "Jeez, you make me sound like I'm a quivering pile of goo every time I think about him."

"Aren't you?" Sasuke said with a smirk, earning a big glare from Gaara. "Well, if you think your night was interesting, wait until you hear mine." Gaara raised an eyebrow in question as he took a sip of the water that was placed in front of him. "Naruto and I slept together." Gaara did a spit take, spitting the water all over Sasuke, drenching the raven and earning strange looks from the other restaurant customers in the process.

"Are you serious?" Gaara asked.

"Well, not 'slept together' as in sex," Sasuke clarified with a smirk at Gaara's glare. "It's always best to lead in with an intro that catches the listener's attention. Don't you remember anything from the public speaking class we took in sophomore year?"

"If you don't tell me this story that probably doesn't sound as interesting as you make it out to be in the next five seconds, I will kill you until you are sufficiently dead," Gaara threatened.

"After I ran after Naruto, I found him in an alley," Sasuke said. "He had been…attacked, and it could have led to another rape." It was now Gaara's turn to be surprised. "I kicked the guy's ass and comforted Naruto a bit. I took him back to the dorm room, and he asked me to stay with him, in his bed.

"This morning, I woke up, and we were pressed together," Sasuke informed his redheaded friend, who was beginning to smirk. "I fell back asleep, and had a fantasy about him." Sasuke stopped looking Gaara in the eyes. "When he finally woke me up, he was already half-dressed and out of bed. God, I almost had a fucking wet dream about him all over him!"

It was too much for Gaara. His smirk turned to chuckling, which turned to sniggering, which turned to all-out laughing. Sasuke glared as Gaara tried – and failed – to regain his composition. Finally, a few minutes later, after Sasuke's food had arrived, Gaara began to calm down, wiping tears from his eyes as Sasuke glared and sulked. Gaara didn't get anything as he'd already had lunch and was waiting to eat dinner with Kiba.

"You know, you just made me almost forget about my date with Kiba," Gaara admitted. "I've gotta say, you landed yourself in quite a predicament."

"Yeah, I know," Sasuke said. "So I did what any sane person would do – got myself a bottle of whiskey and found myself a nice park bench." Gaara's face turned serious suddenly at this. "Don't you dare start lecturing me after what you told me," he commanded. "At least I don't have sex when I'm drunk."

"Listen, drinking isn't for everybody," Gaara said with a shrug. "When I get drunk, I wake up with a boyfriend. When you get drunk, you become an abusive hobo. You can't compare – it's like apples to oranges." Sasuke glared at him.

"If this is going to turn into a lecture, then I'm out of here," Sasuke said, standing to get out.

"Wait, Sasuke," Gaara said, pulling him back down. "You're the one who brought it up. I'm sorry." He let go of Sasuke's arm as the raven sat back down.

Sasuke sighed. "I'm sorry," he said. "I was the one who brought it up." Sasuke started to eat his food in silence.

"So…" Gaara said, looking at a single point behind Sasuke. "Do you…have any dating advice for me?" he asked finally, still not looking the Uchiha in the eyes.

"Me?" Sasuke asked. "Well, I don't really have much experience with _dating_."

"You took Suigetsu out on a date," Gaara said. "And you took Naruto out on a few dates as well. Neither of them ever complained about them."

"Well, with Naruto, it was really awkward because I had to pretend he was a girl," Sasuke said. "I had to put myself through so much girly stuff that it wasn't really pleasant for me, usually. What exactly are you doing with Kiba? Movie? Dinner?"

"Dinner," Gaara said quietly.

"Well, don't take him here," Sasuke said. "Kiba seems like the kind of guy who wants a more casual place. Take him to a nice diner, maybe an Italian restaurant or something. Don't bring him to a place where he'll need to figure out which fork is for salad and which is for steak."

"Good point," Gaara nodded.

"Don't dress too fancy either," Sasuke said. "Dress casually, but make it obvious that you put some effort into it. And for god's sake, Gaara, let up on the eyeliner a bit." Gaara glared at him as he smirked. "But seriously, don't get too nervous."

"What about after the date?" Gaara asked. "What do I do if he kisses me? What if he doesn't kiss me? Should I kiss him?"

"Gaara, breathe," Sasuke commanded. "If he leans in to kiss you, then kiss him back, but don't go too far. You don't want him to think you're a slut. If he doesn't kiss you, then lean in and kiss him lightly on the lips. If he doesn't go further, then just leave it at that. If he _does_ go further, then kiss him back, but don't go too far, for the same reason as before."

"Yeah," Gaara said, nodding. "That makes sense."

Sasuke finished eating his food while Gaara rambled on about Kiba and how nervous he was about the date. Sasuke grumbled at one point that he might as well be sitting across from Sakura with how girly Gaara was being. That earned him a decent glare.

Finally, after their food was paid for, they left and got into Gaara's car. Gaara told Sasuke that the surprise was at the Uchiha mansion, but quickly started talking about Kiba again.

"What if he doesn't have a good time?" Gaara asked. "What should I do?"

"Gaara, I swear to God, I am about five seconds away from killing you and burying your body in a place where no one will find it," Sasuke said. "You are Sabaku Gaara. You don't get nervous. If anyone should be nervous, it's dog boy. You'll be able to tell how much he likes or dislikes whatever you're doing. He doesn't hide his emotions well.

"As for you, he doesn't want to date you because you're a nervous pile of uke-goo whenever you're near him," Sasuke said. "If you don't stop acting like a girl – actually, most girls I know act manlier than you are right now, so you're acting _girlier_ than a girl – then Kiba will not have a good time. He doesn't want a girl, he wants a guy. He's _gay_. So pull yourself together and stop being so _fucking_ annoying."

There was silence in the car for a few seconds before Gaara spoke up.

"Thanks," he said. "I needed that."

"What are friends for?" Sasuke asked rhetorically. The drive was continued in silence as they were already a few blocks from the mansion. When they finally arrived, they got out of the car, and Sasuke noticed that there were four cars already there – Kakashi's, Madara's, Neji's and Itachi's. He would have been disturbed by this if Gaara didn't speak up and distract him.

"You know, this was fun," Gaara said as they walked in the door of the mansion. Gaara headed towards the sitting room, and Sasuke followed. "We haven't had fun in a while together. That's why I'm so sorry I have to do this."

Sasuke stepped into the sitting room of the mansion, and the double doors that led into the foyer were shut and locked behind him. He looked around the room and saw Itachi, Deidara, Kakashi and Madara sitting on a sofa, Neji on a club chair next to them, Suigetsu and Hinata standing behind the sofa, and Sakura sitting on the arm of Neji's chair. Gaara had gone behind Sasuke to close the doors. Sasuke immediately realized what was going on. He turned to Gaara and glared.

"You fucking asshole!" he shouted. "I thought you were my friend."

"We're all your friends," Sakura said, standing up and walking towards Sasuke. "That's why we're all here."

"Save it," Sasuke said with venom in his voice. "I'm sure you all have this idea in my head that you need to save me from alcohol, or some shit like that, but you don't. I'm perfectly fine. You can all go back."

"We're not leaving until you agree to get help, otouto," Itachi said. "You might not see it, but this is a huge problem."

"The only huge problem I have is that the people who supposedly 'care about me' won't leave me alone!" Sasuke yelled. "I don't need your help, and I certainly don't want it!"

"Please stop shouting," Neji said. "We all have noticed that you're not the same."

"Sasuke, you've gone through hell, and it's understandable to need help," Kakashi said. "Just let us help you. There are many options. You can check into rehab –"

"I'm not going to rehab!" Sasuke yelled. "I don't _need_ it."

"Fine," Suigetsu said. "You can go to AA. They have a meeting once a week at Konoha Hospital."

"I'm not an alcoholic," Sasuke told them all. "No matter what you all say, I know who I am."

"Really?" Sakura asked. "You know who you are? Then tell me, because I don't!" She started getting tears in her eyes.

"Sakura," Neji said, reaching out to her, but she slapped his hand away and turned back to Sasuke.

"I get that you've had a hard time with Naruto and Hinata being together," she said as Sasuke looked over in said girl's direction. "But you've become a different person. We've been friends for years, and you've had your fair share of troubles. But I've never seen you like this. You're distant, you're mean, you're _violent_."

"Is this all about Naruto?" Hinata asked. "If it is, I'll end things with him right now. I know we aren't best friends or anything, but you're still a friend. Truthfully, when I asked your permission to go to prom with Naruto, I never anticipated that it would become a relationship. It's alright if you're not okay with this."

"You all think Naruto broke me or something," Sasuke said. "But you're all wrong. I feel fine. You have feelings for Naruto, Hinata?" he asked, and she lowered her head to the floor. "I'll take that as a 'yes'. Well, good for you two. I hope you're both really happy together. I could care less about that idiot."

"Sasuke," Gaara said from behind him. "We all know you don't mean that."

"I haven't fallen apart just because some guy is straight," Sasuke protested. "In fact, I feel better than ever."

"I know you're in denial, Sasuke, but you know deep down that we're right," Itachi said.

"You can't look me in the eye and tell me that you don't have a problem," Gaara said. "Not after what happened at Mangekyo when Kiba and I had to bring you home."

"What happened at Mangekyo?" Madara asked, speaking up for the first time since he was there.

"Well, you had cut Sasuke off," Gaara said. "So he looked somewhere else for a drink."

"Gaara," Sasuke growled in warning, but the redhead ignored him.

"Some creep ordered him a drink and spiked it," Gaara said. "Luckily, Kiba was there before Sasuke was hurt, or worse." The room went quiet.

"But you 'don't have a problem'," Neji said. "Is that right?"

"You're blowing it out of proportion," Sasuke said. "It wasn't like that."

"Sasuke, you were so drunk that you wanted to have big threesome babies with Kiba and I," Gaara said. "There's no way to blow how drunk you were out of proportion." Deidara began to snigger, but Itachi elbowed him.

"Sasuke, I know I haven't known you long, but you're kind of a train wreck," Deidara said. "God knows what would have happened to you that night when I brought you all the way back here."

"And what about last night at Mangekyo?" Sakura asked. "You shoved Naruto for no reason."

"I hadn't even been drinking then!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"I know, but you've become angrier since you've been drinking," Sakura said. "You don't even need to be drunk to be hostile at this point."

"Sasuke, no one blames you for doing this," Kakashi said. "It's perfectly understandable to look for an escape after going through a hard time. But you need to own up to your mistakes and try to get past them. Drinking doesn't make you weak. Not trying to help yourself is what will make you weak."

"Why do you all keep talking about me as if I'm a child?" Sasuke asked. "You're all saying that I've led a tough life, but I haven't had to go through much more than other people. I'm not drinking to 'ease the pain' or whatever the fuck you're all thinking. I'm doing it because it's fun. I like doing it."

"We both know that's bullshit," Madara said.

"It's about time you spoke up, _Madara_," Sasuke spat.

"You still blame me for your parent's deaths," Madara said. "I blame myself just as much every single day. Couple that with the fact that you were recently shot and fell in love with someone who you must look at but cannot touch, and it's no wonder you're drinking. But I won't just stand by and watch as my own flesh and blood destroys himself."

"No," Sasuke agreed. "You much prefer to destroy your flesh and blood yourself, is that right?" Madara quieted and looked that way.

"How dare you say that," Itachi said, standing up. "Uncle Madara has made mistakes, but he feels guilty for it. He has tried his best to help us. So has Kakashi. So stop disrespecting them and get help. You're nothing but a coward."

"Sasuke, please," Neji said. "If you don't want to label yourself as an alcoholic, at least go see someone."

"I don't need a therapist," Sasuke said. "I'm perfectly sane."

"Then just let us help you," Hinata urged. "Stop drinking, and whenever you get the urge, come see one of us. Someone should always be able to talk to you."

"I'm done," Sasuke said, walking through the room to the other side where another exit was.

"Stop him," Itachi ordered. Hinata, Gaara, Sakura and Suigetsu blocked the large doorway.

"I swear to god, I will kick all your asses if you don't let me out now," Sasuke ordered.

"See!" Neji yelled, standing up and walking over to the raven. "Before you started drinking, you'd never _threaten_ your friends."

"Some friends you are," Sasuke spat. He turned to Sakura, Gaara, Hinata and Suigetsu. "You better let me out _now_. This is kidnapping, or something."

"It's an intervention," Kakashi said standing up. "And no one doubts you need one."

"I'm done," Sasuke said. He pushed Neji away and picked up Hinata, moving her out of the way. He pushed Suigetsu into Gaara and just pushed past Sakura. As he got out of the room, Neji ran after him and grabbed his arm, but Sasuke turned around and punched him in the eye. "Leave me alone! All of you!" He ran away, leaving everyone else back in the sitting room.

Since he couldn't get to the front door, he walked around the house until he reached the kitchen, where Itachi's keys were. He picked them up and then went out the back door before anyone could find him and stop him. He walked around the side of the house until he was out front.

Itachi's car was boxed in between the lawn and Gaara and Kakashi's cars. He didn't care, however. He got in the car and started the ignition. He drove onto the lawn to turn around so he could leave. He drove off, his friends and family watching from the window of the sitting room.

Sasuke drove through the city without direction until he realized where he was unconsciously heading. He continued in that direction and finally parked his car when he was there. He walked through the grass until he got to his final destination – his parent's graves.

He knelt down, putting a hand on each grave as tears started forming.

"This is all your faults!" he yelled to the graves. "If you didn't leave me, then I wouldn't be like this! I'm such a mess!

"How could you leave me? I was only 7!" He started sobbing. "You were supposed to be there for me forever, and instead you went and got yourselves killed!" He stopped talking in favor of sobbing. He stayed there on the ground in front of his parents' graves for a while, just sobbing and crying.

After a while, he stopped crying and just laid there, too exhausted to get up. That is, until he heard a voice from someone who was about two or three rows away.

"It's been a while," Naruto's voice said. Sasuke looked up, expecting to see the blond talking to him, but he wasn't. Instead, he was talking to a grave, just as Sasuke had been before (albeit a little calmer). Sasuke got up and started to crawl towards Naruto, wondering what he was doing here.

"I never wanted to see you again," Naruto told the grave. "But Dr. Kishimoto told me I had to write down what I was feeling about you and tell you." He looked at the paper in his hand. "You know, I spent hours writing this, but I couldn't get it to express how I feel about you the right way. And now that I finally have it, it feels so…unnatural." He tore the paper into four pieces before throwing them in the air, letting the breeze take them away.

"Your tombstone says 'loving father'," Naruto said with a small chuckle. "What a joke. You might be the worst father on Earth." He paused for a moment. "Parent's are supposed to love their children unconditionally. But instead, when you _wrongly assumed_ that I was gay, you just…you…" he trailed off, trying not to break into tears.

'_You have to be able to say it, Naruto,'_ the blond thought to himself. _'Remember what Dr. Kishimoto said – if I can say it, it takes some of the power away from him_.'

"You raped me," Naruto said, as he began to cry. The breeze picked up, and Sasuke had finally managed to get near enough to hear what Naruto was saying without being spotted. "How could you do that to me, dad? You were supposed to love me, and instead, you made my life a living hell over and over and over again.

"And I can't escape you," he continued. "That might just be the worst part. Any time Hinata wants to go further than second base, I can't. Your face always pops into my fucking head, haunting me. Whenever I see my fucking roommate, I can't help but remember you." Sasuke's eyes went wide upon hearing this. "He's the one who kissed me, the one who killed you. And as much as he is such a better person than you, he's so much like you in so many ways. Any time I see him drink, it reminds me of the times you'd come home drunk and beat me. And when he gets physical…" he trailed off again.

Sasuke was horrified that Naruto was comparing himself to Kyuubi. And the worst part was that he couldn't defend himself. He knew that what Naruto was saying was 100% true. He was…turning into a monster, and he didn't even care.

"_You've become angrier since you've been drinking," Sakura said. "You don't even need to be drunk to be hostile at this point."_

'_This was what she was talking about,'_ Sasuke thought.

"You never did anything to help me feel protected, safe, loved," Naruto spoke up again. "When my alternate personality came out when I was a kid, you covered it up, and paid off the right people. You cared more about your reputation than getting me help. But you still had to move away from Mizu to escape the scandal.

"That was the best thing that ever happened to me. When I was at Konoha Middle School and I met Ino, it was a blessing. Because then, when she and Inoichi found out about you, they were able to save me. I thank god every day that Inoichi is my father and Ino is my sister. But still, I can't get rid of you. It's like I was subconsciously trying to please you, even now. I've been doing everything I could to please you, even after what you've done to me.

"But it's done now," Naruto said. "I'm don't need your approval, or your love, not that you'd ever given me either." The cemetery was quiet for a long few moments while the wind picked up again. "But why couldn't you love me? Was it really that hard? Is there something about me that's completely unloveable? Is that why…why you…" he sighed, "raped me?"

Suddenly, it was as if someone released the floodgates as tears started pouring from Naruto's eyes. He sank to his knees and started pounding the dirt.

"Dammit!" he cried. "Dammit! Why'd you do it?" Watching Naruto like this broke Sasuke's heart, and he couldn't just stand by as a silent observer anymore. He stood up and walked over to Naruto, leaning down and embracing the blond-haired boy. Naruto cried into Sasuke's shirt, reminding Sasuke much of the previous night.

Naruto looked up and saw that it was Sasuke hugging him and was horrified. It was just like last night. He couldn't do this again. He stopped crying and mumbled an apology before standing up again. He started running away, but Sasuke ran after him, calling his name. Finally, Sasuke caught up and spun the blond around.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said, looking away from the Uchiha, trying to shove Sasuke's hands off his shoulder. "I shouldn't be crying on your shoulder all the time."

"Stop," Sasuke pleaded in a weak voice. "Please, I…I need you."

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered, surprised at the amount of vulnerability he saw in the pale boy's face. Usually Sasuke was so stoic, a mask held firmly in place to conceal emotions. But now, Sasuke looked so _exposed_, and Naruto knew that this wasn't a normal occurrence. His cerulean orbs looked into the balls of onyx that showed Sasuke's weakness. He had no time to process why Sasuke would be so shaken up before a pair of soft, warm lips was pressed to his.

Sasuke was kissing him _again_, but this time, he didn't push him away. As a matter of fact, Naruto pulled him closer. It felt so much like the kiss they had right before Naruto shot him, but it was so much different. Then, Naruto only kissed back because he was scared of letting go of Sasuke and seeing Kyuubi again. Now, he kissed back because he wanted to take Sasuke's hurt away. And at the same time, it was making him forget about his meltdown at Kyuubi's grave.

Naruto opened his mouth when he felt Sasuke's tongue begging for entrance. Naruto took dominance of the kiss, something he hadn't ever done with Sasuke. But this time, Sasuke wasn't looking to be dominating. He was looking for comfort, and Naruto was willing to be strong for him right now. They never tore their mouths away from each others.

Sasuke didn't pull away to suck the blonde's pulse, and Naruto didn't lick a trail up to the Uchiha's earlobe. Naruto didn't run his hands through the raven's hair, and Sasuke didn't slowly trail his hands up Naruto's shirt to feel the Uzumaki's abs. They both kept their mouths attached, breathing through their noses. If they pulled away, they'd have to face life, and neither wanted to do that. They both wanted to just stay right there forever. The only thing that happened was Sasuke wrapping his arms around Naruto and Naruto cupping Sasuke's face in his hands.

**Please Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	18. Another Fake Boyfriend Story

**Disclaimer: If Masashi owns Naruto and Masashi and Naruto are both characters in the story, does that mean this is a slave fic?**

**This chapter was betaed by **LoveUntilWeBleed**.**

Chapter 18: Another Fake Boyfriend Story

After Naruto and Sasuke finally pulled away from each other for air, the air was thick with tension. Neither knew exactly just what to say, so they just decided to say nothing. But eventually, just silently standing there looking into each other's eyes became too much to bear, and Naruto finally said something.

"Are you okay?" he asked Sasuke suddenly, shocking the Uchiha.

"O-Of course I am," Sasuke lied. "Why wouldn't I be?" Naruto gave him a skeptical look, but Sasuke just kept all his walls up.

"Listen, I'm sorry," Naruto said. "I shouldn't have let you kiss me. It's just…I mean, you're…what I'm trying to say is…"

"Spit it out," Sasuke said, patience leaving him.

"I'm with Hinata," Naruto said. "It was unfair to both of you to kiss you."

"But you don't love Hinata, do you?" Sasuke asked, making Naruto look away. "I love you, Naruto. I love you so much, and you're afraid to explore the possibility that you could love me too just because of how the world will label you." Naruto didn't respond, so Sasuke decided to keep going.

"You keep saying you're not gay, but you can't deny you feel something for me. Forgetting about gay, straight, male and female, I know that you are attracted to me, even if there aren't deep feelings yet. What are you afraid of?" He reached out to touch Naruto's arm, but Naruto pulled it away.

"I'm not afraid," Naruto said. "Fine, I'll admit it. I find you…attractive. But I also find Hinata attractive, and I do have feelings for her."

"Do you have feelings for me?" Sasuke asked. Naruto went silent, contemplating this in his mind.

"I don't know," Naruto admitted. "All I know is that I'm with Hinata, and I'm happy. But at the same time, I want you to be happy. I just wish I knew how to make everyone happy, but I can't."

"You're going to have to choose," Sasuke told him. "It's either me or Hinata." He didn't want to wait for Naruto's response. He decided it was time to leave the cemetery, and decided to go back to the mansion. He hoped everyone was still there so he could apologize and tell them what he had decided.

He got into Itachi's car and drove towards the mansion, going through a few red lights and speeding along the way. He didn't want to waste any more time. In the car, he pulled out his phone and called someone. He remembered the person's name from a conversation he'd had with Ino, and he decided he should call them up.

Finally, he pulled into the driveway of the Uchiha manor and noted that all the cars were still there. He counted this as a victory. He got out of the car and ran towards the door, throwing it open.

He walked into the sitting room and saw everyone still there, sitting around. They were obviously talking about him, but they went silent when he entered the room. Neji was sitting with a bag of frozen peas on his eye that Sasuke punched, and Sasuke felt guilty. He was such an asshole to all of them.

"I-I'm sorry," Sasuke said. "To all of you. I didn't want to hurt you."

"Why are you back?" Neji asked.

"I-I wanted to apologize," Sasuke said. "And I wanted to tell you all that I'm going to get help." This caught all their attention. "I do have a problem, and I don't want to keep alienating you all. I'll see a psychologist later; I even called one when I was in the car."

"Who?" Sakura asked.

"It's Naruto's therapist from KMH," Sasuke told them. "Dr. Kishimoto."

"Are you serious about this?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke nodded. "I have an appointment for 7:30 all set up."

"What changed?" Itachi asked. Sasuke remembered Naruto's words.

"_Whenever I see my fucking roommate, I can't help but remember you. He's the one who kissed me, the one who killed you. And as much as he is such a better person than you, he's so much like you in so many ways. Any time I see him drink, it reminds me of the times you'd come home drunk and beat me."_

"I found something to fight for," Sasuke said, not giving any more information. "I can't do it when I'm constantly drunk."

Sakura stood up and ran towards Sasuke, giving him a tight hug. She put her mouth near Sasuke's ear and whispered to him. "If you ever drink again, I swear on my life I will personally castrate you." Sasuke smirked and hugged her back.

After realizing the intervention was a success, Madara and Kakashi left, allowing Sasuke to be with his friends. Deidara and Itachi soon left after that, and soon, Hinata, Neji and Suigetsu had gone as well, leaving Sakura, Gaara and Sasuke alone.

"So what did you mean you have something to fight for?" Sakura asked.

"I finally have a chance with Naruto," Sasuke said with a smile. "He still has feelings for Hinata, but he admitted to me that he was attracted to me and might have feelings for me."

"So you went to see Naruto?" Gaara asked. Sasuke shook his head.

"I went to the cemetery to talk to my parents," Sasuke said. "Naruto happened to be there visiting Kyuubi's grave."

"What about Hinata?" Sakura asked. "She's our friend, and so is Neji."

"This isn't about Hinata for me," Sasuke said. "It's about Naruto. I love him, and I won't give up the only thing that might make me truly happy. She'll understand."

"Are you sure?" Gaara asked. "I mean, when she was here, you practically gave her your blessing when you told her you didn't care about Naruto. Maybe you should talk to her."

"Hey, Gaara, don't you have to get ready for your date?" Sasuke asked, noticing the time. Gaara started to freak out because it was getting late. He decided he would drive Sasuke and Sakura back to the dorms and then pick up Kiba there.

Sasuke went up to his room and brought down his toothbrush, his toiletries, and his bedding. He was going to bring it to the university and move back in to his room. When he had started drinking, he'd rarely spend his time there, so he slowly started moving his stuff out. Luckily for him, he didn't move _too_ much out. He still had his school supplies and stuff there; he just needed to bring a few things.

Soon, the three of them were back at the university. Sakura went off to tell Ino the exciting news about the intervention working, and Sasuke went to his room to put his things away before his appointment. Gaara went to his dorm hall and began to get ready for his date.

"Someone's a little nervous," Suigetsu observed as he walked into the room about ten minutes after Gaara arrived. Gaara had just finished his shower, and he was only wearing a towel, looking through his closet for something to wear. He already had about ten shirts lying crumpled on the floor, rejected.

"Will you shut up," Gaara said, holding another shirt up to his chest in the mirror. It was a purple shirt, but it was still not what he wanted. Instead, he threw it into the reject pile.

"You only have ten minutes before you have to pick up your boyfriend," Suigetsu pointed out. Since he and Gaara had become roommates, they slowly became friendlier, and they had now developed a rapport. Suigetsu was a little loud, he flirted a lot, and he teased Gaara as often as possible about whatever he could. Gaara was quiet, he would rebuff Suigetsu's playful flirts, and he would argue with the other teen.

"You don't think I know that?" Gaara asked. "I can't find anything to wear!"

"Well, the first step is to put on underwear and some pants," Suigetsu said. "Not that I mind, but Kiba doesn't seem like the exhibitionist type." He winked at Gaara, who glared at him.

"Well, now that you're here, I'm not dropping my towel to put on underwear," Gaara said. Suigetsu pouted playfully, and ducked the pillow that was thrown at his face. He started laughing at Gaara's glare.

"Fine, I'll turn around," Suigetsu said. He turned around and walked to his closet, going through his own clothes to look for something.

"Alright," Gaara said as soon as he had some boxer briefs on. Suigetsu found a nice black shirt with a silver hawk on it in his closet and turned around to toss it at Gaara. But first, he wolf-whistled at Gaara's nearly nude body.

"Nice junk," Suigetsu complimented as he threw the shirt at his roommate. "Kiba's a lucky one." Gaara blushed in spite of himself.

"What's this?" Gaara asked.

"It's a shirt," Suigetsu said. "If you don't know that, I don't know how you got into college." Gaara glared at him, and Suigetsu shrugged. "It goes with your eyes. And your hair." Gaara put on a pair of skinny jeans and then the shirt that Suigetsu had given him. He looked in the mirror and nodded in approval. The shirt actually did go well with both his hair and his eyes.

"Thanks," Gaara said as he put on a jacket. As he opened the door to leave, Suigetsu called out to him.

"You're not gonna clean up this mess?" he asked. Gaara shrugged. "Fine, but don't do anything I wouldn't do." He winked at the redhead one more time and he couldn't tell if the red that was visible on Gaara's face was from anger or embarrassment. Either way, he howled in laughter as Gaara left.

Gaara walked over to the next dorm hall where Kiba's room was. He knocked on the door, and was greeted by the sight of Kiba in a tux. His eyes went wide and his jaw dropped as a blush spread across the brunet's face.

"Gaara!" he exclaimed. "You're here."

"Yeah," Gaara said. "What in god's name are you wearing?"

"Oh, this?" Kiba asked. "Heh, I thought we were going to some sort of fancy restaurant or something."

"I told him not to go overboard," Neji yelled from inside the room. "But does anyone ever listen to Neji? Nope."

The blush on Kiba's face spread. "Um, wait right here while I change, okay?" he asked Gaara, who chuckled.

"Take your time," he said. "I'll be waiting over at Sasuke's room down the hall, alright?"

"Sure," Kiba said. Gaara walked over to Sasuke's room and knocked. He was surprised when Naruto opened the door and told him Sasuke wasn't there. Naruto invited him in all the same.

"So I hear you and dog-breath have a date tonight," Naruto said. "What are you doing here?"

"Kiba's in a tux," Gaara said. "I'm waiting here for him to change into something less…un-Kiba."

"Ah," Naruto said in understanding. "So, do you know where Sasuke is? I saw he put his sheets and stuff back here, but when I got here he was gone again."

Gaara shrugged, even though he knew Sasuke was at the psychologist's office. He wasn't sure if his friend would appreciate him telling Naruto about the therapy.

"I have no idea," Gaara said. "But I do know that he's stopped drinking." Naruto's face looked like a mixture of confusion, happiness, and relief.

"How do you know that?" Naruto asked.

"Well, we had an intervention for him earlier," Gaara said. "He didn't take it too well, and he went to the cemetery." He noticed how Naruto grew tense and his cheeks slightly reddened. "When he came back, he said he was going to get help because he found out he had something to fight for." He almost laughed when Naruto's eyes went wide and the blush intensified. "Are you okay?" Gaara asked. "Your cheeks are a little red."

"O-Oh," Naruto stuttered. "It must be the heat."

"It's 50 degrees Farenheit," Gaara said. Naruto tried to think of an excuse, but a knock on the door distracted them both.

"Gaara, it's me!" Kiba yelled from the hallway. Gaara's chest started beating madly as he went to open the door. There stood Kiba, who was wearing jeans that fit tightly to his hips and ass as a tight red shirt that showed off his muscular chest. Gaara stood there, willing himself not to drool, but he couldn't stop staring. He could see the contour of Kiba's pecs and abs through the shirt.

Kiba noticed Gaara's staring and smirked, his confidence growing by leaps and bounds. "Well, are you coming or not?" he asked the redhead, who finally tore his eyes from the other's body. They walked outside towards Gaara's car, Kiba getting into the passenger side and Gaara in the driver's side.

"So where are we going?" Kiba asked as they left the campus.

"There's a great Italian place near my house," Gaara said.

They drove in relative silence for about five minutes until they reached said restaurant. There was a five minute wait, but it only took about two minutes for a table to open up. Afterwards, they spent a few minutes looking through the menu to decide what to order, and they gave their orders to the waitress.

"So how are your classes going?" Gaara asked, not sure what he should ask on a first date.

"They're pretty good," Kiba said. "Professor Kage is a lunatic, though."

Gaara chuckled. "Which one?" he asked with a smirk.

"Rai," Kiba said. "He's got some serious fucking anger issues, man."

"You should see Tsuchi," Gaara said with a smirk. "He thinks I'm a long lost Kage brother named Kaze."

"That's…weird," Kiba said. "He's, like, 80 and you're 18."

"Somehow he's 80 and Mizu is, like, 30," Gaara said with a shrug. "I don't know how it's possible."

"That's right," Kiba said in realization. "I never thought of that."

Kiba continued to talk about his professors being crazy, and Gaara couldn't really argue. Every single professor seemed like they'd be better suited to be a greeter at Wal-Mart (1). In the middle of this, their food arrived and they started eating. When Kiba was done talking about his professors, he asked Gaara about his family. Even though they'd hung out many times before, Kiba realized he didn't much know of Gaara's family.

"I have a sister named Temari who goes to Konoha University too," Gaara said. "But she and I don't get along much. She's a real bitch. Then I have a brother named Kankuro, who was accepted to Harvard on a full ride. He and I get along better than Temari and I, but we don't talk all that often. Then there are my parents, Shukaku and Baki, who are pretty overbearing and annoying. Shukaku's a bit aggressive, but my mother, Baki, is very doting. She tends to smother."

After he was done telling a story from his childhood that involved Temari, Baki, himself, and a very annoyed raccoon, he asked Kiba about his family.

"Well, I never knew my father," Kiba admitted. "He left right after I was born. My mom has been raising me and my sister Hana alone. Hana's off at Suna University, and my mom is the only vet in town, so she makes a lot of money to support us. When she had me, she decided to buy up the property next to her office and build a house so that when we were growing up, if she had to leave us home alone for work, she'd be right next door."

"She sounds like a hard worker," Gaara said, reaching across the table to hold Kiba's hand in his own. He saw a flash of anger and sadness in the brunet's eyes when he talked about his father, and he wanted to let the other know that he was there for him.

"Faggots," a teenager sneered from another table, earning himself a glare from Gaara and Kiba. He was sitting there with a girl who was about his age and had obviously seen the display of intimacy.

"You wanna say that to my face?" Kiba asked, standing up and balling his fists.

"Pfft, as if a pansy like you could fight," the boy said, blatantly ignoring the fact that anyone could see that Kiba was pretty muscular with the way his t-shirt fit to his form.

"Kiba," Gaara said sternly. "Sit down; don't cause a scene." Kiba looked from Gaara to the other boy before backing up and sitting back down.

"Heh, he's sure got you whipped, huh?" the guy teased. "He's even taught you to sit like a good little puppy."

"Why, you!" Kiba stood up ready to hit the guy, but Gaara stopped him again. The redhead pulled him away from the other boy and pulled him down to whisper in his ear.

"Chill out," he said. "Let me handle this." Kiba looked skeptical, but he reluctantly stepped away.

"Fine," he said, sitting back down. "I hope you can."

"Trust me," Gaara said before turning his attention back to the couple. "I think instead of meddling in our relationship, you should worry some more about your own."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the guy asked, glaring at Gaara.

"Well, it's obvious that you're not happy with this lovely woman, or else you wouldn't be cheating on her," Gaara said with a smirk. The other boy's jaw dropped in shock, and the girl looked at him in confusion.

"What does he mean?" the girl asked.

"How should I know?" the guy asked defensively. "He's probably pissed that I called him a fag so he's trying to screw up our date."

"Yeah, _we're_ the ones screwing up a date here," Kiba said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. But everyone ignored him.

"Well, I was just pointing out the obvious," Gaara said. "After all, you have some sparkles on the back of your neck, probably from lip gloss. But your girlfriend is wearing very deep red lipstick." Kiba smirked, understanding just what Gaara was doing. He remembered a few months ago when he and Gaara had been at the mall and Gaara first showed him how he observed people for fun. Who would have thought it was a useful hobby?

The boy's girlfriend got up to look at the back of her boyfriend's neck, but he mumbled some sort of excuse about glitter and helping his sister on an art project.

"Did your sister's art project also explain how you have a hickey on your wrist?" Gaara asked. "I'm sure you thought that your jacket covered it up, but that certainly wasn't the case." Suddenly, the girlfriend grabbed his wrist and looked at it in horror, not having noticed it before.

"How dare you!" she yelled, slapping him and stomping away. He stared after her dumbstruck as Kiba started laughing.

"Maybe _she_ should teach you some tricks," Kiba said with a smirk. "Like 'stay'. She should at least have the decency to have you neutered."

"You think it's funny, you little fag?" the guy asked, standing up and pulling up his sleeves indicating he was about to fight. Gaara smirked at the fact that he had even more hickeys all the way up to the elbow.

This time, Gaara didn't try to stop Kiba when he stood up and punched the guy square in the face. The guy covered his nose as blood gushed.

"Don't call my boyfriend a fag," Kiba said menacingly before turning to Gaara. "C'mon, let's go." He grabbed Gaara by the wrist and led him out of the restaurant stopping at the front desk for a minute to pay. And, like a gentleman, he paid for the whole thing.

He brought Gaara back to the dorms in a silence, and they eventually reached Gaara's residential hall. He walked the redhead up to the room, and they both stood in front of Gaara's door.

"You know, you're pretty hot when you're aggressive," Gaara whispered before leaning up to capture Kiba's lips in his own.

Kiba was surprised, as he expected to initiate the kiss. Not that he complained. He kissed Gaara back fervently. Pushing him up against the door to the room, he lightly licked Gaara's bottom lip, requesting entrance into his precious cavern. But instead of allowing him to enter, Gaara pulled away.

"Sorry, I don't fuck on the first date," he smirked.

Kiba threw his head back and sighed. "You think you're being cute, don't you?"

"I know I'm being cute," Gaara said nonchalantly with a shrug. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I guess," Kiba said, a little upset he wouldn't get any with Gaara. He wasn't sure exactly how the whole dating thing would work, especially since they started off backwards, but he had such a great time last night even though he was drunk that he was hoping Gaara wouldn't mind spending the night with him tonight.

Gaara entered his room as Kiba left, and wasn't surprised to see Suigetsu waiting up.

"I'm on my way out to meet a girl, but I wanted to see how your date was first," he said. "So, was it good?"

"It was fine," Gaara said. "It was almost ruined by an asshole, but Kiba and I both stood our ground."

"Good," he said. "Well, I have to meet Kashi for some 'dessert', if you know what I mean." He winked at Gaara, who knew all too well what he meant. In the last two months since he started rooming with Suigetsu, he got used to the other boy leaving late at night to have sex with different people.

It didn't matter whether his bed partner would be a guy or a girl. He was sure to be gone at least twice a week getting laid. It didn't both Gaara much, unless it started to affect him. One time at the end of September, a guy that Suigetsu had fucked and left had come over and trashed Suigetsu's stuff. Another time, Gaara had to comfort a girl who had a breakdown upon realizing she wasn't getting married to Suigetsu. THAT was awkward.

With a grin and a promise to bring his key this time so he wouldn't wake Gaara up to let him in at 5 in the morning again, Suigetsu was out the door.

* * *

Earlier that evening found Sasuke at KMH for his first appointment with his psychologist. He still couldn't wrap his mind around it. This morning, he was boozing it up, and then he had a talk with Kakashi, a talk with Gaara, an intervention, and a kiss with Naruto. And now he was in therapy. What a day!

"So, Mr. Uchiha," Dr. Kishimoto said after some surprise at the name on his appointment list. "What brings you here today?"

"I was hoping you could help me," Sasuke said. "I have a drinking problem."

"I figured," Dr. Kishimoto did with a light smirk. "So how did you hear of me? A recommendation?" He was pretty sure that it was no coincidence that one of the most important people in Naruto's life just happened to end up on the same couch with the same psychologist.

"I believe a friend of mine is your patient," Sasuke explained. "Uzumaki Naruto," he added for clarification.

"Ah, yes, Naruto," Dr. Kishimoto said. "He's a fine young man. Anyway, back to your problem…" He quieted down to let Sasuke continue.

"I've had a problem with alcohol since my parent's deaths," Sasuke explained. "My godfather, Kakashi, has helped me every time I started drinking, but this time was different. This time, even after my friends had an intervention for me, I refused to get help."

"How did you get here in my office then?" Dr. Kishimoto asked.

"I'm sure you know a lot about Naruto's past," Sasuke said. "Especially with his father." He looked to Dr. Kishimoto for a reaction, but didn't receive one. "I overheard Naruto today comparing me to his father, and it made me realize that I _did_ have a problem."

"How would you define your relationship with Naruto that he was able to get through to you when even your godfather couldn't?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. Sasuke was quiet. He knew what Naruto was to himself, but he didn't want to exactly voice how he felt about Naruto to someone he had just met, especially since the same man already knew Naruto and most of his inner feelings. He was beginning to doubt the sense in coming to see _this_ particular therapist. "Would you consider him a friend? A brother?" He paused. "A lover?"

"I have romantic feelings for him, yes," Sasuke affirmed. "But I'm sure you knew that."

"I am not allowed to repeat anything that's said in this office," Dr. Kishimoto said. "If Naruto did say something about it, I'm not allowed to let you know."

"I know," Sasuke said.

"Back to when you first started drinking," Dr. Kishimoto began, redirecting the conversation. "How did they die?"

"It was murder," Sasuke said, starting to get annoyed that his therapist wasn't reacting. Seriously, how many times did he hear of a double murder? "I was twelve, and it really hit me hard." Dr. Kishimoto nodded.

"What happened to their murderers?" he asked.

"They were caught," Sasuke said. "But they managed to plead guilty due to reason of insanity. They're actually patients in this very hospital."

"Ah, then I believe I know who you're talking of," Dr. Kishimoto said. "You said that your godfather helped pull you out of it. Was there another time you began to drink?"

Sasuke nodded. "It was when I found out _why_ my parents died, when I was fourteen."

"Why your parents died?" Dr. Kishimoto repeated. "I thought the murderers were mentally incapable of reasonable thought."

"Here's the story the way I heard it," Sasuke began. "Back when my family was in Japan, they were the head of an illegal crime organization."

"The Japanese mob?" Dr. Kishimoto asked, slightly surprised. Sasuke nodded.

"My father had no desire to be a part of it, and he moved to America with my mother," Sasuke continued. "After his father died, my uncle Madara took over the organization, but it started to fall apart. Many of their associates had double crossed them, and my uncle moved to America to escape them.

"Some of the associates came over with my uncle and his family," Sasuke continued. "In their attempt to kill my uncle, they ended up killing his wife and son, which I only found out recently. Afterwards, they made another attempt on my uncle's life, but they ended up killing my parent's instead."

"So your parents were killed because of a tragic case of mistaken identity?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. "That's must have been tough on you."

"It was," Sasuke confirmed, not wanting to speak more on the issue.

"Do you have a relationship with your uncle?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. Sasuke nodded.

"He owns a bar in the city and he's always been around," Sasuke said. "He never got too close to us after our parent's deaths. He says it was to keep me and my brother safe, but I don't believe him. I think he was just too guilty to look us in the eye."

"You blame him for your parents' deaths?" the psychologist asked.

"Of course," Sasuke said. "If he had just stayed away from the organization like my father, none of my family would be dead right now."

"Do you think he regrets this decision?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. Sasuke went silent and glared at the doctor.

"I don't really give a flying fuck if he regrets it," Sasuke said. "The bottom line is that my mother and father are dead, and it's because of _his_ choices in life. Remorse won't bring them back."

"No, it won't," Dr. Kishimoto agreed. "But is holding the grudge worth it?"

"Excuse me?" Sasuke asked.

"Does keeping your distance from your uncle help ease the pain of your parents' death?"

"Of course not!" Sasuke yelled.

"Then what's the point of holding the grudge?" Sasuke was silent, which Dr. Kishimoto took as a good sign. He decided to change topics.

"What about most recently?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. "What was the thing that pushed you to drink this go around?"

"Naruto," Sasuke said. Dr. Kishimoto gave him a look that urged him to elaborate. "The first time I really had anything to do with Naruto was when we were paired for a history project. I had a problem with a bunch of girls who wouldn't leave me alone so I came up with a great idea. I twisted Naruto's arm and made him agree to pretend to be my boyfriend to keep the fan girls away.

"_Hey, moron," Sasuke said to the blond when the two were at Sasuke's house. They had been working on Iruka-sensei's history project for hours. The entire time, Sasuke had been working on how to keep the fan girls away, and he had come up with only one idea – to get a fake boyfriend. Not a girlfriend, or else all the girls would end up trying to just get her out of the picture. He knew Naruto would be a good candidate for fake boyfriend, but he just had to find some way to twist his arm. "Do you have a crush on Sakura?"_

_Naruto went wide-eyed at the question, and Sasuke smirked. It didn't take a genius to see Naruto staring at Sakura from across the room in any class they had together. The kid acted like the textbook example of how people act when they have a crush._

"_W-What?" Naruto sputtered, surprised at the turn the studying had taken. "Uhm…no."_

"_Don't lie," Sasuke said. "I always see you glancing our way during lunch; you get flustered any time you're around her; you're not very subtle." Naruto's cheeks grew a rosy color._

"_So what if I do?" Naruto asked._

"_Well, what if I told you a way that you could get her to see you in a better light?" Sasuke asked. "You would be able to hang around her and possibly convince her that you're dating material."_

"_Really?" Naruto asked, unable to contain his enthusiasm. "How's that?" he asked, trying not to sound desperate._

"_Be my boyfriend," Sasuke said simply with a smirk._

"How did that work out?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. Sasuke looked away.

"Not exactly the way I'd liked," he admitted. "A couple days after we started that, I had the weird impulse to kiss him, and I don't know why. His father must have seen us or something, 'cuz he got it in his mind that Naruto was gay. His father decided to make sure Naruto didn't want to be gay, and I'm pretty sure you know the rest of the story."

"I'm aware," Dr. Kishimoto said with a grim face.

"Anyway, when I found his father…raping him," Sasuke said, not wanting to say the word, "I protected Naruto."

"How exactly did you do that?" Dr. Kishimoto asked.

"I…I shot and killed Kyuubi," Sasuke said.

"And how do you feel about it?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. Sasuke shrugged.

"He was an evil man," Sasuke reasoned. "He deserved what he got."

"I've never seen someone so nonchalant about killing someone else," Dr. Kishimoto said.

"What do you want me to say?" Sasuke asked. "That I regret it? That I'm sorry he's dead and that I'd never do it again? Cuz none of that's true."

"But that's irrelevant," Dr. Kishimoto said. "You've obviously come into very close contact with death. You lost your parents to murder, as well as your aunt and cousin, and then you're put in a spot where you need to end someone's life. Even if Kyuubi was an evil person, ending another person's life has to affect you somehow."

Sasuke was quiet for a while, contemplating this. He never thought about it. He wouldn't let himself. He'd have stray nightmares in the following months about it, but he had repeatedly told himself he had done the right thing. But now that he was forced to think about it again, he was starting to feel sick. Why was he feeling somewhat guilty? Kyuubi deserved what he got.

"Anyway, after I shot Kyuubi," Sasuke began, "my life was hijacked and I was forced to deal with Naruto. Eventually, though, I started developing feelings for him. I didn't realize it until it was too late, though, and I was forced to stay away from Naruto."

"Was that when you started to drink?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. Sasuke shook his head.

"I muddled through it," he said. "I tried to get over Naruto, but then he came around and shot me."

"And how did that make you feel?" Dr. Kishimoto asked.

"Well, it hurt, but I know that he didn't mean to shoot _me_," Sasuke said. "And then over the summer, while he was in here, I started to try to get over him. But as soon as I saw he was my roommate, it was like all the feelings that I tried to forget about over the summer just came crashing back. And _that_'_s_ when I started drinking."

"I think one of the biggest problems you seem to be facing is some guilt over Kyuubi's death," Dr. Kishimoto said. "At the same time, I don't think you've truly gotten past the sadness of your parents' deaths and the anger you have at your uncle over it. I believe that your feelings for Naruto – as strong as they may be – are not enough to push you over the edge."

Sasuke contemplated this, and it seemed to make sense. He had felt like he was hanging on a thread for a while, even before he found out Naruto was his roommate. It was just the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.

"What should I do?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, I think the first thing is to confront your uncle about your anger," Dr. Kishimoto said. "You two need to sit down together, and you have to tell him how you truly feel about him, and you both have to talk it out."

"You think talking about my feelings will really help me!" Sasuke asked angrily. "That won't solve anything!"

"Why don't you try it?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. "I work at a mental institution – I think I know what I'm talking about." Sasuke glared at the man, unable to argue the logic. "Is there anything else?"

"No," Sasuke said, standing up. "I'll be back next week, then."

"You can call to make the appointment whenever," Dr. Kishimoto said. Sasuke nodded and left, skeptical about what Dr. Kishimoto told him to do. He got in his car and looked at the clock. It was 8:31. He decided he would go to sleep early before classes tomorrow. It was midterm week, after all, and he'd need his sleep.

* * *

Naruto looked at the clock on his dashboard as he traveled down the highway. 8:34. He was currently rushing to get to Dr. Kishimoto's again before he went to bed for the night. He'd already seen him earlier to talk about waking up in bed with Sasuke, but he was in desperate need of another session already.

He got out of the car and managed to catch Dr. Kishimoto as he was locking his office.

"Dr. K!" Naruto exclaimed, running up to him.

"Twice in one day," Dr. Kishimoto marveled. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I was hoping I could step inside your office again?" Naruto asked. Dr. Kishimoto smirked.

"You know, you could just move in again, and then you wouldn't have to go home between visits," he chuckled.

"Very funny," Naruto said dryly as they entered the office.

"So what happened this time?" he asked as Naruto sat down on the couch. Naruto was silent for a minute, wondering how to bring up the topic. Finally, he asked the question.

"Do you think…I might be gay?" Naruto asked. Dr. Kishimoto looked surprised at the question.

"Do you think you might be gay?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. "That's the more important question."

Naruto decided to tell Dr. Kishimoto about what had happened since he left – the visit to Kyuubi's grave, the kiss with Sasuke, and the talk they'd had afterward. The therapist was a great listener, and he didn't interrupt the blond once as he rambled on and on about his problems.

"…and I really do like Hinata, and I don't see why I should ruin things with her, but I also like Sasuke, and I feel like if I gave him a chance, we might have a future. If I wasn't already with Hinata, it wouldn't be a problem, but I am, and it's so hard. I don't want to hurt either of them, but it's unfair to both of them if I have feelings for the other, and –"

"You're rambling," Dr. Kishimoto finally interrupted. "At first it was kind of funny, but now it's just repetitive."

"Sorry," Naruto mumbled. "But I don't know what to do!"

"I don't think I can help you," Dr. Kishimoto said. "I'm a therapist, not a relationship counselor. This is something you're going to have to figure out yourself."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Naruto said quietly.

* * *

The next day, while Sasuke was taking his first midterm, he was struck with inspiration. It was the answer to how he would get Naruto to realize that he could have feelings for him after all. It was pure genius, and he couldn't wait to get started on this new plan.

After his second midterm, it was time for Sasuke to eat lunch. He purposely went to the most popular cafeteria in the hopes of seeing the navy blue hair he'd seen once before.

_Sasuke and Gaara both sat at Konoha Park. It was a sunny day, and neither much appreciated it. That was why they were currently seated in the shade. After all, the sun would ruin their pale complexions. Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind them._

"_Gaara-kun!" yelled a teenager with navy blue hair. Sasuke looked at Gaara, who looked like he wished for nothing more than the ground to swallow him up whole. He then turned to the one who had screamed Gaara's name again, and he was immediately reminded of Naruto._

_The boy was built much like Naruto – medium height and broad, but not too broad. He also had a pretty descent tan, which wasn't something Sasuke saw often in this area. He had a bunch of piercings in his ear, and the tail of a tattoo wrapped around the front of his neck. He had very attractive purple eyes._

"_Yuhiko," Gaara growled. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out sometime," the boy, Yuhiko, said. "I know that you're dating that Kiba guy" (What?) "but I'm cool with just being friends."_

"_I don't think you get it," Gaara said. "I'm totally not interested in being your friend, since I know that you'll just want more."_

_After a few minutes of Gaara arguing with this strange kid, Sasuke stepped in and told Yuhiko to fuck off before asking Gaara what that was all about._

_Apparently, this boy, Yuhiko, had been chasing after Gaara for a while now. Gaara was never interested in him, but it was almost a daily occurrence to be asked out by Yuhiko. Last week, however, Yuhiko had approached Gaara when he was hanging out with Kiba, and Kiba pretended to be Gaara's boyfriend to get Yuhiko to back off. Apparently, the boy still didn't get the picture._

Sasuke smirked, realizing how awesome his plan would be, even if he'd have to apologize to Gaara again sometime. Finally, he caught sight of the boy and immediately rushed over to him, interrupting a conversation he was having with a friend of his.

"Can I talk to you?" Sasuke asked him.

"You're Gaara's friend," Yuhiko recognized. "You were that asshole from the park! Why would I want to talk to you?"

"It's about Gaara," Sasuke said, pulling him up and dragging him outside the noisy cafeteria.

"Listen, I'm not obsessed with Gaara anymore," he said when they were outside the cafeteria. "I know he's dating Kiba, and I'm not going to keep making an ass out of myself by continually putting myself in a position to get rejected."

"But you still have a crush on him, don't you?" Sasuke asked.

"I have feelings for him," Yuhiko clarified. "But it doesn't matter anymore."

"What if I told you there was a way that you could get him to see you in a better light?" Sasuke asked. "You would be able to hang around him, double date with him, and convince him that you're dating material."

"How's that?" Yuhiko asked suspiciously, not believing what Sasuke was saying.

"Be my boyfriend," Sasuke said simply with a smirk.

(1) I don't mean any offense to any Wal-Mart greeters who could be reading this, someone just mentioned this line in a review and I thought it was pretty funny.

******Please Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	19. Another Fake Boyfriend Story Part 2

**Disclaimer: Naruto is a part of all of us. So, I sort of do own Naruto, right? Right?**

**This chapter was betaed by **LoveUntilWeBleed**.**

Not Just Another Fake Boyfriend Story

Chapter Nineteen: Another Fake Boyfriend Story: Part 2

Sasuke stood in front of the navy-haired boy outside of the noisy cafeteria feeling an immense sense of déjà vu. Why, it had been nearly a year ago that he had spoke nearly the exact same words to another, and he had ended up falling in love with that person. Now he was standing in a completely different place in a completely different situation, but it was all the same nonetheless.

"_Hey, moron," Sasuke said to the blond when the two were at Sasuke's house. They had been working on Iruka-sensei's history project for hours. The entire time, Sasuke had been working on how to keep the fan girls away, and he had come up with only one idea – to get a fake boyfriend. Not a girlfriend, or else all the girls would end up trying to just get her out of the picture. He knew Naruto would be a good candidate for fake boyfriend, but he just had to find some way to twist his arm. "Do you have a crush on Sakura?"_

_Naruto went wide-eyed at the question, and Sasuke smirked. It didn't take a genius to see Naruto staring at Sakura from across the room in any class they had together. The kid acted like the textbook example of how people act when they have a crush._

"_W-What?" Naruto sputtered, surprised at the turn the studying had taken. "Uhm…no."_

"_Don't lie," Sasuke said. "I always see you glancing our way during lunch; you get flustered any time you're around her; you're not very subtle." Naruto's cheeks grew a rosy color._

"_So what if I do?" Naruto asked._

"_Well, what if I told you a way that you could get her to see you in a better light?" Sasuke asked. "You would be able to hang around her and possibly convince her that you're dating material."_

"_Really?" Naruto asked, unable to contain his enthusiasm. "How's that?" he asked, trying not to sound desperate._

"_Be my boyfriend," Sasuke said simply with a smirk._

He smirked, realizing that he had in fact, used nearly the exact same wording when he had just asked Yuhiko nearly the exact same thing.

"_Listen, I'm not obsessed with Gaara anymore," Yuhiko said when they were outside the cafeteria. "I know he's dating Kiba, and I'm not going to keep making an ass out of myself by continually putting myself in a position to get rejected."_

"_But you still have a crush on him, don't you?" Sasuke asked._

"_I have feelings for him," Yuhiko clarified. "But it doesn't matter anymore."_

"_What if I told you there was a way that you could get him to see you in a better light?" Sasuke asked. "You would be able to hang around him, double date with him, and convince him that you're dating material."_

"_How's that?" Yuhiko asked suspiciously, not believing what Sasuke was saying._

"_Be my boyfriend," Sasuke said simply with a smirk._

It had seemed like it took minutes for Yuhiko to respond, when in fact, it was only a few seconds. In that time, Yuhiko realized exactly what this near-stranger had asked of him, and was wrapping his mind around what the fuck was going through said person's mind.

"You…think that me going out with you…will get Gaara to dump Kiba and come to me?" Yuhiko asked slowly. "I can't tell whether you're joking or just crazy."

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity," Sasuke said. "When else will you get a chance to get close to Gaara?" Yuhiko narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Besides, you wouldn't have to actually _date_ me, you'd just have to pretend to."

"This is quite an intricate scheme you've cooked up," Yuhiko said, still suspicious. "It doesn't seem likely to work in the least. Believe it or not, Uchiha, I wasn't born yesterday. You have an ulterior motive."

Sasuke shrugged. "What does it matter, if we get what we want?"

"But that's the thing – there's not a really big chance that this will work out for me," Yuhiko said. "It sounds as if you just need an agreeing party to help you out, and you think that by offering some twisted plot with a slight chance of success, you'll make me become that agreeing party."

"You're smarter than you look," Sasuke said with an appreciative nod. "I just need someone to help me make someone jealous."

"Ah, I see," Yuhiko said. "If they already have some feelings for you, then there's a good chance you could make them jealous with me. Too bad there's not much of a chance of Gaara dumping his boyfriend for me. Does he even know you're doing this?"

"Of course not," Sasuke said. "I don't see why you wouldn't want to do this. What if I promise two double dates with Gaara and Kiba?"

"Why the hell would I want Kiba to be there?" Yuhiko asked. "That's the worst idea I've ever heard."

"I can distract Kiba," Sasuke said. "He's honestly not that intelligent – it shouldn't be hard."

"I'm sure you could find a much more willing person to help you with this idea," Yuhiko said. "I'm sure that –."

Before he could continue, Sasuke saw a familiar shock of blond hair walking down the corridor in their direction. Naruto had not yet noticed Sasuke, but Sasuke wanted to make sure he did.

"Listen, just play along for right now," Sasuke urged quickly before pulling Yuhiko in for a kiss. At first, Yuhiko tried to protest, but he didn't have time before he heard a shocked voice coming from behind him.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked in surprise. Sasuke pulled away from Yuhiko and turned to his roommate, smirking inwardly that this was working. "What's going on here?"

Sasuke turned to Yuhiko to get rid of him so he could talk to Naruto. "Do you mind if you come over to my room later to finish our conversation?" Sasuke asked, giving Yuhiko a very pointed look.

"Sure," Yuhiko said against his better judgment before Sasuke leaned in to hug him.

"Yondaime Hall, Room 214," Sasuke whispered in his ear as he hugged Yuhiko close for Naruto to see. Naruto glared at the other boy as he pulled away and walked back into the cafeteria. The door had barely closed before Naruto yelled at Sasuke.

"Who was that?" he asked. "And why did you _kiss_ him?"

"He's my boyfriend," Sasuke said nonchalantly, beginning to walk away to make Naruto believe he didn't want to have the conversation. Before he could get out of arm's reach, Naruto grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Since when?" Naruto asked, his eyes narrowed into a glare. Sasuke shrugged and Naruto released his grip on the raven's wrist, pushing him back a little. "Dammit, Sasuke! Were you dating him when you…_kissed me yesterday_?" he asked, the last three words in a whisper.

"No," Sasuke said after a few seconds under Naruto's intense glare. "I don't get why you care."

"Because believe it or not, I actually do care about you," Naruto said. "You're my…" he trailed off, not being able to put Sasuke's place in his life into words.

"I'm your what, Naruto?" Sasuke asked viciously. "Your roommate? Your friend? Newsflash, Naruto – I never wanted to be either of those to you. I wanted more, and you constantly pushed me away."

"So you go and find the first guy you see and start dating him?" Naruto asked. "Do you even know this guy?"

"Of course I do," Sasuke lied. "Yuhiko and I have been friends for a while."

"Really?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"Yes, really," Sasuke said. "Now, stop shoving your nose in my business. Who I date is none of your concern."

"How can you even think of dating someone else when you love me?" Naruto asked. He knew he had no right, but he felt mad about this. He felt like he was abandoned. For months, Naruto was the center of Sasuke's universe, and now he wasn't all of a sudden. He didn't know how to deal with this.

"You are such a hypocrite," Sasuke spat. "You want me to love you, but you don't want to love me back. When I want to be with you, you push me away, but when I try to move on, you try to pull me back in! Make up your fucking mind already!"

"I have," Naruto said. "I'm with Hinata. But that doesn't mean you should just go and find some bed warmer."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you sounded jealous." Naruto blushed a bit, but he glared back at Sasuke.

"I told you yesterday that I find you attractive," Naruto said. "I've never been in this position before. I think…I think I'm in love with Hinata, but I just can't get you out of my mind! I don't know what to do!"

"Well, then, you should be thanking me," Sasuke said. "I'm taking the decision away from you. You had your chance – Lord knows you've had _plenty_ of them. I think it's pretty clear where I stand with you. I'll always be second to Hinata, and Uchiha Sasuke is _nobody's_ second choice."

None of this was turning out the way he was planning it to. He was going to flaunt his 'relationship' in Naruto's face, and then he would just walk away, leaving Naruto confused. He hadn't expected an argument – a fight! And he definitely hadn't expected the 'L' word to pop out of Naruto's mouth. That one sentence hurt Sasuke more than that bullet he took months ago.

He turned to walk away, but Naruto grabbed his wrist again. Sasuke wasn't going to have any of it, though, and he pulled his wrist back, freeing himself from Naruto's grip. Without another word, or even a look, Sasuke walked away, leaving a very upset, confused, and angry Naruto behind.

* * *

After his next midterm, Sasuke found Gaara sitting in the student lounge, drinking a tall caramel frappuccino and reviewing his chemistry textbook. Sasuke hesitated before walking in, debating whether or not he should actually tell Gaara of his plan.

Something Yuhiko said when they were talking struck a chord with Sasuke. He realized that it really wouldn't help Yuhiko at all to say yes, as the slight chance of succeeding was outweighed by the larger chance of failure. Either way, he planned on convincing him later to help with the plan, and he wanted Gaara's blessing first. If he did this behind Gaara's back, he'd feel too guilty to go through with it.

"Are you just gonna stand there, or are you gonna sit?" Gaara asked, not looking up from his book to see Sasuke standing behind him. Sasuke smirked at Gaara's ability to know when he was around and he walked around the sofa to sit beside the redhead.

"So how was your date last night?" Sasuke asked. Gaara shrugged in response.

"It was pretty good, I guess," he said, flipping another page.

"You _guess_?" Sasuke asked. "He must not have impressed you. What, did he insist you go Dutch treat?" Gaara looked up just to glare at Sasuke.

"I _know_ you didn't interrupt my studying for one of the hardest midterms I will ever have just to ask me how my date with a guy you don't like was," Gaara said. "Because if you did, I might have to kill you."

"I don't care about Kiba," Sasuke admitted, "but you're my friend and I want to know what's going on with you." Gaara sighed and closed his textbook, realizing he wouldn't be studying much anytime soon.

"When I showed up, he was in a tux, and I sat with Naruto across the hall while he changed," Gaara began. "I took him to the Italian restaurant by the elementary school, and he paid. We had a really good time until a homophobe tried to ruin our dinner, so we left. Yes, I kissed him before saying goodnight, and no, it didn't go any further. Does that answer all your questions?"

Sasuke shrugged. "There was one other thing I wanted to talk to you about," he admitted.

"Obviously," Gaara drawled.

"You remember that kid with blue hair and all the piercings?" Sasuke asked. "Yuhiko, his name was?"

"How could I forget," Gaara muttered. "What about him?"

"Well, I came up with this idea," Sasuke began. "It's actually a pretty awesome idea to get Naruto to admit he likes me." Gaara raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "After I left the intervention, I went to my parent's graves, and I saw Naruto at Kyuubi's grave. We kissed, and that's when I decided to stop drinking. I asked him how he felt about me, and he admitted that he's attracted to me, but he's not sure if he has feelings for me yet."

Gaara didn't say anything, but he was listening, so Sasuke continued. "I realized that the only way to get Naruto to realize his feelings was for him to become jealous of someone, which meant that I'd have to get a boyfriend." He paused, hoping to see Gaara's reaction, but the boy remained impassive. "So I decided that I'd get someone to _pretend_ to be my boyfriend."

Sasuke should have known that Gaara had been analyzing every single second of Sasuke's story, and had been figuring out how Yuhiko fit into it. As Sasuke finished that last sentence, all the pieces clicked in the redhead's mind, and he was instantly red with anger.

"Tell me that you didn't ask Yuhiko," Gaara ordered, scaring Sasuke a little.

"I did," Sasuke admitted. "I told him that I'd ask you and Kiba for a double date with us, and that he'd have a chance at making you see him as dating material." At least he had the decency to sound guilty about it.

"Really!" Gaara yelled. "Why would you do this to me? I finally got rid of that stalker, and you just came along to undo months of progress. You practically gave a drug addict a road map to an abandoned meth lab!"

"I told him that he'd have the _chance_," Sasuke said. "I never promised him you'd do anything."

"Do you really dislike Kiba that much that you'd sabotage my relationship with him before it even gets started?" Gaara asked.

"That's not how it was," Sasuke said.

"Oh, was it that you were so caught up in your personal drama that you decided to throw me – your best friend – to the wolves so that you could get with your roommate?"

"Gaara –" Sasuke began, but he was cut off.

"You of all people should know what it's like to have people follow you constantly," Gaara said. "Karin switched schools so she could be with you! How would you like it if I called her up and told her to come back to Konoha because there was a chance you'd turn straight and fall in love with her?"

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said.

"No you're not," Gaara said. "That's the worst part. You'd still go through with it if Yuhiko changed his mind. What would make you even think that was a good idea? Don't you remember the last time you used a fake boyfriend to solve your problems? I'm sure Naruto doesn't – he ended up in a fucking mental hospital because of it!"

"It's not the same," Sasuke said.

"Oh yeah?" Gaara asked. "For some reason, this plan makes just about as much sense as that one did, and I'm pretty sure that that plan made less sense than Bee-sensei does when he raps!"

"Gaara, please calm down," Sasuke said. "I didn't want to get you this upset."

Gaara sat back down on the couch, not having even realized that he stood up, and sighed deeply. "What did Yuhiko say?" he asked, slightly afraid to hear the answer.

"At first he said no," Sasuke said.

"At first?" Gaara asked, clenching his fists.

"I told him to come to my room later and I'd try to convince him otherwise," he admitted. Gaara's eyes seemed to flash red.

"You're going to tell Yuhiko that the deal is off," Gaara ordered. "There is _no __**fucking**__ way_ that I'm getting dragged into _your_ drama with _your_ roommate."

"What if I just take you out of the deal?" Sasuke asked.

"What would Yuhiko have to gain if you didn't put me in the deal?" Gaara asked before shaking his head. "You know what? Nevermind. If he wants to do that for you without expecting _anything_ of me, then you have my complete blessing."

"Thank you," Sasuke said softly. "And for the record, I'm rooting for you and Kiba to make it." Gaara raised both his eyebrows in surprise. "Well, you're so obviously infatuated with him, and you've only been with him for a day or two. I don't think I've ever seen you like this over someone. He has to be special to you."

Gaara gave him a small smile before picking his chemistry book up again. "Now that you've told me about Yuhiko, will you go and let me study in peace?"

* * *

Naruto was really pissed off all day, and he had no idea why.

Scratch that, he knew exactly why. He just didn't know why it pissed him off.

He was so focused on thinking of Sasuke and his boyfriend that he didn't pay much attention to his midterms. He had two midterms in a row that afternoon, and he was pretty sure he did pretty shittily in both. And it was all because Sasuke was a fucking teme who kissed him and then got a boyfriend.

But he still didn't know why it bothered him.

For months, he had been stressing over the fact that Sasuke loved him. From the moment that Sasuke told Naruto that back when Naruto was at KMH, Naruto's world was shaken. He had envisioned him and Sasuke becoming close friends after what they had gone through, and he had hoped with all his heart that Sasuke would be open to friendship and wouldn't hold a grudge. But then, Sasuke revealed his true feelings, and Naruto was torn – he wanted to be with Hinata, but he also wanted to have a relationship with Sasuke – even if it wasn't a romantic one.

But what had changed? Naruto wasn't ready to admit that he wanted a romantic relationship – he was still very unsure of his feelings – but obviously something changed. He hadn't been attracted to Sasuke before, simply because he'd never looked at him in that light. Well, not when he was sane. He did have memories of Sasuke shirtless, and even nude, from when he thought he was Sasuke's girlfriend, but any attraction to the raven's body he had shrugged off as due to the Dissociative Gender Disorder. But was that really why he found Sasuke attractive?

And then there was Hinata. He _was_ attracted to her, even if he was also attracted to Sasuke. He also grew to care for her. At first, he just thought of her as a shy but nice girl. When he thought he was a girl, he would often hang out with her, along with Ino, Sakura and Tenten. And after he found out she had a crush on Kiba and _she_ found out Kiba batted for the other team, he felt bad for her, and offered her a date to prom.

But things had changed. When he couldn't make the prom (for obvious reasons), Hinata still visited him every few days. Heck, even Ino didn't visit as much as Hinata did, although she did her best. Even though they weren't official "dates", it kind of felt like they were…they learned more about each other every week, and they were growing closer. When Naruto got out, he and Hinata only went on one date before they were really "dating", but they had already known enough about the other to consider it a serious relationship.

But lately, he noticed he was feeling more…distant towards her. He had no doubt that he did have feelings for her, but he wasn't so quick to assign to word "love" to it anymore. He had always been told that as teenagers, love isn't true, it's relative. After all, how would teenagers be able to know the kind of complicated feelings that were associated with love? He fell into that category, having said that he loved Hinata before. But was it true? What about _her _"love" for _him_? Was Sasuke's "love" for him true, or was it just a strong feeling of attachment and infatuation. Would either of their "loves" for him fade?

That thought brought him to one other: why would he care if Sasuke really loves him or not? That was the single thought that kept plaguing his mind through his exams. '_Why do I care?'_ He was so angry at Sasuke for dating someone else, especially after the kiss. Especially when that kiss…it _meant_ something to Naruto. And that might have been the most confusing part of this all. If he wasn't sure of his possible feelings for Sasuke, then _why_ did that kiss mean something to him? Why did he feel a bubble of jealousy rise up when he saw Sasuke pull that other kid down for a kiss? Why did Naruto want to _be_ that other kid?

It was then that he had finally discovered his answer. Instead of finishing the essay that would account for 15% of his final grade for the course, he did something much more important – he came to a realization. He _did_ have feelings for Sasuke. But even then, he didn't know how far they went. They obviously made him feel jealous and possessive, but he wasn't sure if that was enough for a relationship, especially because it wasn't just about the two of them.

'_Oh god,'_ Naruto thought as he walked back to his room, still in deep thought. _'Hinata.'_ As much as he had feelings for Sasuke, he had feelings for Hinata too. And now, he was in the spot where he was going to have to make a choice between the two. How could he do that though, when he had feelings for both of them?

He resolved to do the only thing that made sense. He would wait. Time would give him all the answers. Until he knew exactly what he felt and exactly what would happen, he would just stick with the status quo. Why mess things up on the chance? He definitely wanted to have a talk with Ino, and possibly another talk with Dr. Kishimoto. Not to mention he still had to talk with Sasuke.

He was so far into his thoughts that he didn't even realize it when he was standing in front of his dorm door. He scrambled to get his key out and found that the door was unlocked. He opened the door and found Sasuke sitting at his desk reading a textbook. Naruto's throat ran dry in the few seconds before Sasuke looked up.

"We have to talk," Naruto said. Sasuke turned his swivel chair around and stood up.

"I don't think there's much to say," Sasuke said.

"You know you don't have feelings for him," Naruto said. "You're only going to hurt him."

"So you don't want me to date Yuhiko because you're afraid _I'll_ hurt _his_ feelings?" Sasuke asked. Alright, maybe that one was a stretch.

"What's the point in dating someone you don't like?" Naruto asked.

"I did it with Suigetsu," Sasuke pointed out. "Even if it wasn't 'dating', it was still comforting to know there was someone there."

"So you're with this Yuhiko guy because you can't be with me?" Naruto asked. "So you don't want to be a second choice, but you have no problem making him one?"

"You seem intent on trying to convince me to not date him," Sasuke said as he stepped closer to Naruto. "So far, none of your excuses seem valid at all." He was now standing just a few inches from the blond, his head tilted slightly down to look in Naruto's eyes (the blond was about half an inch shorter). "if you give me a valid reason," he said, his face suddenly very close to Naruto's, "maybe I'll…reconsider."

What was just a few seconds seemed like an eternity as time stood still. Naruto's eyes flicked from Sasuke's deep obsidian eyes to his pale, pink lips. He felt the warmth of Sasuke's breath against his own lips, and his eyes fluttered close for a second. He was expecting the Uchiha to close that miniscule gap and give the blond a repeat performance of yesterday. In fact, a large part of him was _hoping_ for it.

But Sasuke wouldn't. He'd had enough of being the initiator of the kisses they'd shared. He knew from Naruto's behavior that he was slowly realizing his feelings, and he knew that the blond wanted to kiss Sasuke just as much as Sasuke wanted to kiss him. Resisting the urge to pull Naruto close to him and capture the familiar lips in an intense kiss, Sasuke stood still.

When he realized that Sasuke's lips weren't placed firmly upon his yet, Naruto's eyes slowly opened and he stared into the black eyes once more. He saw so many emotions in the two orbs that the Uchiha rarely showed that Naruto nearly choked at how intense the gaze was. He almost stuck out his tongue to lick his lips, but he realized that Sasuke's mouth was so close to his that he would have licked Sasuke's lip as well.

But would that be so bad? Naruto briefly debated this. On one hand, he wanted it. He wanted it _so_ badly. But on the other hand, he was with someone else, even if he couldn't exactly think of _who_ that someone else was at the moment. All that existed was him and Sasuke. The rest of the universe was detached from them. And just as Naruto made up the decision to lean in to kiss Sasuke, there was a sharp knock on the door.

Reality came crashing down upon the blond, who jumped back in surprise, disappointed that he hadn't acted sooner. His heart was beating rapidly, and there was a tightness in his pants that he didn't want to think about. One look at Sasuke, and he realized that the moment was over, becoming just a missed opportunity.

Sasuke regained some composure as he walked over to the door and opened it, revealing Yuhiko. Sasuke almost glared at the boy for interrupting his moment with Naruto, but he then realized that if it wasn't for _his_ own plan, Yuhiko wouldn't have knocked on the door. But without that plan, the moment between him and Naruto was likely to not have occurred.

"You wanted to finish our conversation?" Yuhiko asked impatiently.

"Why don't we go to this great little ramen stand in the city to talk," Sasuke said, closing the door behind him. "I wouldn't want to bore my roommate with the details of our conversation."

"No need," Yuhiko said. "I have nothing to gain by this, and I'm not going to let you talk me into it."

"You can't just say no!" Sasuke yelled in a low voice, not wanting Naruto to hear from inside the room. "Naruto thinks we're together…the plan is working."

"The plan?" Yuhiko asked. "That was never my plan. I don't really care about you and I don't really care about that blond guy in there that you like so much. I have nothing to gain, so goodbye."

Sasuke tried to protest, but Yuhiko was gone in a flash. He looked back at the door to his room and cursed under his breath. Now he'd have to face Naruto again and tell him that he _hadn't_ in fact been with Yuhiko. And now, all the progress that had been made was going to disappear.

'_Wait, why do I have to tell Naruto?'_ Sasuke thought. _'As long as he _thinks_ I'm with Yuhiko, he'll be jealous. I just have to go on 'dates' every once in a while, and I can just go home and study or something instead.'_

With his mind made up, his back-up plan began as he walked down the hall to Neji's room, hoping to see the brunet. Unfortunately for him, the only one there was Kiba, and Sasuke had no intentions on chatting with the Inuzuka. Instead, he decided to just go to the Uchiha mansion and hang out there for a while.

* * *

Ino was _so_ thankful that she had managed to pass both midterms she had taken today. Well, she assumed that she passed them. She didn't find any of the questions on them hard, so it was a pretty safe bet. And she only had one person to thank for that.

A few weeks ago, she really stopped understanding anything that Professor Mizu was saying. It all sounded like the voices that adults had in the Charlie Brown cartoons. She would stop paying attention when he stopped understanding what she was talking about, and then she'd never learn what was going on.

After receiving her first 'F' – EVER – Professor Nara suggested that she find a tutor. Ino was flabbergasted. She had always been the tutor, not the tutee (was that even a word?). She'd never had a problem in school; her lowest grade in high school was a B- on a quiz in Spanish once, and that was only because she'd been sick for three days during the week.

But the fact was that she would fail if she didn't find someone who could take the time to explain the material to her so that she understood it, which meant she needed a tutor. She didn't know particularly how to go about getting a tutor, and she didn't want to find out. In fact, if left to her own devices, she probably would have shrugged off the need for a tutor and failed the midterm.

Luckily for her, Shikamaru had stayed late to talk to his father, and Shikaku had volunteered Shikamaru to start tutoring her. At first, Ino burst into laughter for a good five minutes before quieting down. Then she wondered if his father knew just how totally lazy he was. But then, her father told her something shocking: as lazy and uninterested as Shikamaru is, he's a genius. He gets straight A's without putting forward any effort, and would thus be a good tutor.

Of course, tutoring Ino was so troublesome for the teen. But after twice a week of tutoring sessions and studying together for their liberal arts class (that she was doing very well in, thank you very much), she realized just how smart he really was. You'd never know it by looking at him, but the guy was the next Albert Einstein.

Luckily for her, Shikamaru was a pretty good tutor. She understood him better than she understood his father, so they eventually started going over the lessons right after class so Shikamaru could explain it right. She didn't realize it, but she was spending a lot of time with Shikamaru. So much time, in fact, that she hadn't seen Naruto in almost a week! She'd only seen Kiba a few days ago because he needed to be picked up, but she only saw him for a few minutes before they went back to the campus in separate cars.

She pulled out her phone and sent a text message to Naruto.

_Hey, it's me. Get Kiba. We're going to the mall. No excuses._

She got out of the academic building and walked over to her car, planning on going back to her room to quickly change. She put on her seat belt and checked her phone to see if Naruto replied before driving across the large campus. While she pulled her phone out, he replied.

_Sure. Wut time?_

Ino texted him back before putting her phone away, starting the car, and leaving the parking lot.

_I'm going back to my room…Gotta change…meet me down by the parking lot for my dorm in about twenty minutes._

Twenty minutes later, Ino ran out of her residence hall towards her car, which two familiar men were leaning on. She smiled as she saw her best friends for the first time in a while, giving Naruto a hug and then Kiba.

"Thank god midterms are over!" she said as she got into the driver's seat. Naruto took shotgun and Kiba sprawled out in the back seat.

"Speak for yourself," Naruto muttered. "I still have another midterm to take tomorrow."

"I have two," Kiba said from the back seat.

"So what's new?" Ino asked. "I haven't seen you guys in forever!"

"Well, Kiba's got a boyfriend," Naruto sniggered from the front seat, prompting Ino to stop short. Luckily Naruto was wearing his seat belt, or he would have flown through the windshield.

"You _WHAT_?" Ino yelled at the top of her lungs. "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me? Who is it? Is it Gaara? Mind you, I had my suspicions when I picked you two up the other day, but I had no idea… You and _Gaara_? Oh my god! That's so cute! Does Sakura know? I have to tell her…" She continued to rant while Kiba glared at Naruto, who had a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Thanks a lot, asshole," Kiba muttered.

"They had their first date last night," Naruto told Ino in response to Kiba's words. She squealed and started to ramble off questions about it.

"Where did you go? What did you do? Did you guys kiss? Did you guys _have sex_? Oh my god, Kiba, how far did you go?" She kept going on while Kiba kicked the back of Naruto's seat repeatedly.

"Uh, why don't we go to the mall instead of just sitting in the middle of the street," Kiba suggested. "I promise, I'll tell you all about my date when we get there."

With that incentive, Ino resumed driving and the three made it to the mall in record time. Ino blew through four stop signs, two traffic lights, and was going 90mph in a 30 zone at one point (1). Finally, after stealing a space close to the door from a guy who had been waiting ten minutes for the previous occupants to pull out, the three stepped out of the car and walked into the mall.

Ino was ready to drag Kiba and Naruto into Victoria's Secret, but Kiba insisted that he wouldn't tell Ino a detail about his date unless they went to GameStop. It was a real debate in her mind, but she eventually conceded and was given all the details about Kiba's date with Gaara while Naruto, bored, looked at the different games.

Finally, when they were done at GameStop, they decided to walk into a pop-up Halloween store that had opened a few weeks ago. Ino tried on all the cheap wigs for fun, while Kiba and Naruto conspired to scare people with the fake spiders they had.

"What are you guys doing for Halloween?" Ino asked. "I haven't even thought of it until now."

Naruto shrugged. "I guess it'll just be another day. I didn't hear of a party, and I'm sure as hell not trick-or-treating."

"We should throw a party!" Ino exclaimed suddenly. "We can invite everyone we know from Konoha U! It'll be so awesome."

"And whose dorm room are they all fitting into?" Kiba asked sarcastically. Ino frowned, realizing that they would need a larger space to host a party of those proportions. Suddenly, her face lit up with an idea.

"Why don't you guys ask Neji and Hinata if they'll have it at the Hyuuga mansion?" Ino asked. "You're Neji's roommate, Kiba, and you're Hinata's boyfriend, Naruto. You guys could definitely get them to agree!"

"She's not gonna let up on this, will she?" Kiba asked Naruto as if Ino wasn't sitting right across from them.

"Nope," Naruto agreed, nodding his head to himself with his eyes closed.

"It's settled then!" Ino said with a smile. "We should make it a costume party!" she said all of a sudden.

"But we don't have costumes," Kiba protested.

"You can use that dog costume you used last year," Ino said with a shrug.

"And what about me?" Naruto asked. He immediately regretted opening his mouth, seeing the evil glint in Ino's eyes.

"I seem to remember a neko costume that fit quite snugly," she said with a smirk.

**Please Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	20. Halloween

**Disclaimer: Naruto is a part of all of us. So, I sort of do own Naruto, right? Right?**

**This chapter was betaed by **LoveUntilWeBleed**.**

Chapter Twenty: Halloween

Hinata was very bored as she sat at the "bar" in the main room that was going to be used for the party. It wasn't a real bar, as there was no alcohol, but they did have one of their butlers acting as the bartender to serve very fruity Halloween-style drinks, and even a few nonalcoholic beers. After all, Sasuke was going to be there, and they didn't want to put any temptation in front of him.

Hinata was going over the last encounter she had with her boyfriend in her head, and she couldn't stop. She felt that something was off with Naruto, but she couldn't place her finger on it. She hadn't seen him in almost a week, and then when they finally saw each other again, he just asked her about a party. There was no kissing, no light touching, no intimacy whatsoever. It was like he was avoiding her, and she had no idea why.

Hinata had only recently begun coming out of her shell. Before she met Naruto, she was very quiet, only speaking to her cousin and his friends. Not only had he made her more confident in herself, but he was also her first love. She'd had crushes before – always on the wrong people. When she first saw Sasuke, she fell head over heels like every other girl in their school. But after he became friends with Neji and she started to be around him more, she realized that he was gay, so she gave up. She didn't even know if he knew it yet at that point.

Then there was Gaara. He had always been nice to her when he became Neji's friend in middle school, even when Neji didn't like her. She had a crush on him too, which was dashed when he came out to Neji, Sakura and Hinata. And then, of course, Kiba. Going over these details in her head, she couldn't believe how every single guy she had a crush on ended up being gay. It wasn't like she _turned_ them gay, because she hadn't actually dated any of them. But the luck she had was less than satisfactory.

That was one of the things that kept her a little distant from Naruto at first. With his history with Sasuke, she was sure that he had the best chance out of the four to end up batting for the other team. She accepted his prom date, and even went to see him at the hospital, but her fears were never completely assuaged – at least not until Neji spoke to him. Neji had told Hinata that he had a talk with Naruto on the first day of classes, and Naruto swore he was straight and had no feelings for Sasuke.

But there was someone else that Hinata was afraid would steal Naruto's affections. She knew that just a year ago, Naruto was pretty obsessed with Sakura, and that only seemed to go away after he was raped and spent months in a fractured mental state. She wasn't completely sure if he had truly gotten over her. She silently cursed the fact that the only two people who Naruto could possibly leave her for were some of her best friends. And then there was the fact that Sasuke loved Naruto, and that love led Sasuke to do many stupid things. For almost two months, whenever Hinata would be with Naruto, she'd feel guilty that Sasuke was out somewhere getting drunk because she was with Naruto.

She shook her head in frustration. As much as Naruto could possibly still have feelings for Sakura or Sasuke, he would tell her if there was another person. Naruto was a nice guy, and he wouldn't break Hinata's heart like that, especially after what he had told Neji.

But then what could be bothering him? Why was he avoiding her? Could it be something related to school? Maybe he didn't think he did well on his midterms. Hinata shook her head again. This behavior had been going on since before then. She thought back to the last time she'd seen Naruto and he'd been acting normal – it was about a week and a half ago. It was the day before Sasuke's intervention. But that couldn't have anything to do with it. Naruto wasn't even at the intervention.

"You're not in a costume yet," Neji commented as he entered the room with Sakura and Tenten, who had come to visit them for the weekend. Neji was wearing his hair long and in a ponytail, which was unusual, even for Halloween. From the multi-colored clothes he was wearing and the peace necklace he had, Hinata assumed he was a hippy. Meanwhile, Tenten had her hair in two buns and was wearing a black pantsuit with a white button-down shirt underneath it.

"Tenten!" Hinata said, getting up to hug her friend. Tenten hugged back and then stepped back.

"So what are you going to be?" she asked. "Neji and I are a hippy and a business executive."

"It was _supposed_ to be the other way around when she told me she'd get the costumes," Neji said with a slight glare at Tenten, who shrugged.

"I'll go get ready now," Hinata said, leaving the room.

"Be quick!" Neji said. "The guests will be arriving in a few minutes!"

As Hinata ran up the stairs, the doorbell rang. Tenten opened it and saw Gaara and Kiba together, and raised an eyebrow.

"Tenten, what a surprise," Gaara said monotonously. Tenten gave him a hug and even gave one to Kiba. Gaara was wearing very thin pajamas and had a sleeping cap on.

"What are you supposed to be?" Tenten asked with amusement.

"I'm the sandman," Gaara said with a straight face as Kiba erupted with laughter (1).

"You know, the king of sleep?" Kiba asked. "We agreed to pick out each other's costumes."

"So that's why you're dressed as a dog?" Tenten asked, trying not to laugh out loud at the costume. Kiba got embarrassed, and he let his giant, floppy ears cover his face, causing Gaara to smirk.

After Gaara and Kiba arrived, Itachi arrived with his friends Kakuzu and Hidan. Itachi came as a crow, and Hidan came as Death. Kakuzu didn't wear a costume, insisting that it was beneath him. About five minutes later, Ino and Sakura arrived. Sakura had "generously" gotten Ino a pig costume, but Ino refused to wear it, coming instead, dressed as Sakura. And yes, she made sure to tape he pink wig back to show more forehead, angering her roommate. Sakura came as Kirby, the Nintendo character.

Then, Hinata came down the stairs in the costume that her father had bought for her – a very conservative princess gown. It had long sleeves, showed no cleavage, and went down to her ankles. The first thing she did was go up to Tenten, Ino, and Sakura and ask them to help her make it less inappropriate – when her father had gotten her a costume, he hadn't told her that it showed literally no skin. About five minutes later, the four girls came out of the bathroom, Hinata's dress barely down to her knees with straps instead of sleeves. The most dramatic change was that the blue dress showed _entirely_ too much cleavage for Neji's liking.

"Hinata's costume is now the Slutty Princess," Tenten said proudly.

"If Uncle comes back and sees you like this…" he said, causing Hinata to blush in shame.

"Oh, calm down Neji!" Sakura exclaimed. "It's a party! Have fun!"

A short while later, Deidara arrived with Sasori, Nagato, and Konan. Deidara went as a clay sculpture, Sasori as a puppet, and Konan somehow made a costume of paper that covered her whole body but her face. Nagato dyed his hair orange and put on very large, very fake piercings all over his face. After they arrived, Suigetsu arrived with Kisame. Kisame was dressed as a shark, but Suigetsu was dressed as a total man-slut. He was wearing a leather shirt that showed off his stomach – reminiscent of Sai's signature look – and some very short leather shorts that clung to his crotch and ass.

Soon, Shikamaru arrived, not dressed in a costume (it was too troublesome for him to dress up). He walked over and started hanging out with Ino, as she was the one who invited him. He didn't know anyone else there that well, but he stayed a distance away from Gaara, his ex's brother. Speaking of the devil, Temari walked into the party a few minutes later, a large uchiwa strapped to her back. No one could figure out what she'd dressed as. Choji and Lee had shown up, as they had also gone home for the weekend when they'd heard that Neji and Hinata were throwing a huge party. Choji was dressed as a bag of chips, and Lee was just wearing a green, spandex, one-piece suit.

As everyone arrived, it was clear that only two people were missing from the party, and Gaara and Hinata took special interest at this fact: Sasuke and Naruto had not arrived yet.

* * *

About an hour before then, Sasuke and Naruto were getting ready for the party. Naruto had, of course, refused to wear the neko costume that Ino had apparently saved for a rainy day, and Sasuke was not the kind to dress up so frivolously, so they just ended up getting dressed nicely, as if they were going to a club. The entire time they were together, neither of them looked at each other.

In fact, since their argument last week, they hadn't much spoken to each other at all. The only conversation they had was the one that they had when Naruto asked if Sasuke could drive him to the party, as Naruto's car was at the mechanics. Some guy had decided to crash into his car while it was parked and leave nary a note.

"Come on, Naruto," Sasuke said impatiently. "We're going to be late if you don't hurry your ass up!"

"We don't have to be the first ones there," Naruto argued. "It's a party, as long as we're there before midnight, we're good." It was another few minutes before Naruto was ready, and every second, Sasuke got angrier.

Finally, Sasuke and Naruto walked down the hallway a few feet to where the elevator was. They were on the third floor of the residence hall, and neither of them wanted to really go down two flights of stairs to the bottom. Naruto pressed the button to go down, and the doors immediately opened.

They got into the elevator, and Naruto pressed the button to go down to the first floor. Sasuke looked at his watch, which told him that it was 11:47. He then looked up at the little screen that told them what floor they were on. They had gotten past the second floor and were almost at the first floor when the elevator jerked and stopped moving, light flickering. Sasuke and Naruto both stumbled at the sudden stop of the elevator, and they looked around the elevator to see what was going on.

"What just happened?" Sasuke asked with wide eyes. His heart was beating rapidly, anticipating the answer.

"I think the elevator got stuck," Naruto said. He pulled out his phone and cursed…there was no signal. Sasuke also pulled out his phone, but the result was the same – no signal. Naruto pressed the button on the elevator that said emergency, but no one answered. The person who was supposed to be there for situations like this was either at a party or sleeping.

"I think we're going to be stuck in here for a while," Naruto said.

"This can't be happening," Sasuke said as he began to breathe heavily. He sat down in the far corner of the elevator from the buttons and he pulled his knees up to his chest.

"I know you don't want to be late to the party, but it's not like we have a choice," Naruto said with a shrug as he sat down in the other back corner. "We're stuck here."

Finally, Naruto realized something. He was going to be stuck in an enclosed space with Sasuke for a while – just the two of them…alone. His cheeks reddened upon this realization and he looked up to the top of the elevator to see if there was a security camera. There wasn't. He sighed.

There was silence in the elevator for a long while, although it probably just seemed longer than it was. Sasuke just stared in a fixed point the entire time, while Naruto started to fidget and grow more restless. It was too awkward…things had never been this awkward between them, even after everything they'd been through.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said finally, breaking the terse silence. Sasuke didn't look towards him. "I shouldn't have lectured you about dating that Yakiho guy."

"Yuhiko," Sasuke corrected, still not looking in Naruto's direction. "And you were right…I shouldn't have gone out with him."

"Does that mean you two broke up?" Naruto asked, hoping that the answer was a yes. He tried not to sound hopeful, but he truly was. He didn't want to admit it, but when he saw Sasuke kiss that guy, he felt…jealous. He didn't like it, but now that he'd realized he did have feelings for Sasuke, it was easier for him to admit it to himself.

"Yes," Sasuke confirmed. "I told him that I didn't have feelings for him. You were right…I shouldn't date someone who I don't love." He turned his head so that it was at a 90o angle from his body to look right at Naruto, into his cerulean eyes. "I guess that kind of means I'm not going be dating anyone any time soon."

Naruto fidgeted under Sasuke's gaze, longing for the time when Sasuke just looked away. He felt he was being scrutinized by the look Sasuke gave him. He almost felt like Sasuke was looking into his soul. As much as he wanted to, though, he couldn't look away from him. He couldn't break their eye contact.

* * *

Back at the party, Kiba had gone looking in search for Naruto, whom he was sure had arrived by now. But there had to be at least a hundred people there, and so finding a single person – in a costume, no less – would be hard. Gaara walked over to Neji to compliment him on the party, and saw he was kissing Tenten near the bar. Gaara smirked at the funny image of a hippy and a businesswoman kissing in front of him.

Finally, they pulled away for air and Tenten saw Gaara. She blushed and nodded in Gaara's direction to Neji, who then noticed the redhead.

"Hey, Gaara," Neji said. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to tell you this is a pretty good party," he said. "Do you happen to know where Sasuke is?" Tenten and Neji both shrugged, so Gaara left the two to be alone. It wasn't long before he ran into Suigetsu.

"Gaara!" Suigetsu said with a goofy grin. "It's about time I saw you…what are you supposed to be?"

"The Sandman," Gaara said. "I assume from _your_ costume that you're an S&M slave?" Suigetsu chuckled.

"Not quite, but I _have_ already gotten laid twice here," he said with a smirk as Gaara's jaw dropped.

"You've been here just over a half hour!" Gaara exclaimed, causing Suigetsu to shrug.

"What can I say?" Suigetsu asked rhetorically. "That Ayame girl is pretty good in bed, and I didn't realize how big of a cock Hidan had!"

"I can't believe you," Gaara said shaking his head.

"Hey, Hidan came on to me!" Suigetsu said. "He gave me some head and then fucked me in the –"

"I don't need the details," Gaara interrupted. "I'm just glad you're having…fun."

"Speaking of fun, Sasuke's brother is here," Suigetsu said. "Do you think he would be mad if I slept with his brother?" Gaara rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore Suigetsu rather than play into his game.

He left Suigetsu to contemplate whether or not he should conquer the Uchiha family and found Kiba, who had realized that Naruto hadn't arrived yet.

"Neither has Sasuke," Gaara said.

"Do you think something happened to them?" Kiba asked worriedly. Gaara shrugged.

"If something really bad, we would have heard about it by now," he reasoned. "Let's just focus on the two of us having fun."

"How much fun do you wanna have tonight?" Kiba asked, waggling his eyebrows. Gaara smirked.

"It depends on how good a boy you are," he said, petting Kiba's costume. Kiba growled, but he pulled the redhead in for a small kiss on the lips. They were both smiling as they pulled away.

"So this is your boyfriend," surmised Temari, who seemed to appear out of thin air.

"Who's this?" Kiba asked, wondering why a random blonde was talking to them.

"This is my sister," Gaara said. "Who invited _you_, Temari?"

"You might want to work on your tone," Temari said sweetly. "If I was anyone else, I'd think that you didn't want me here." She was about to answer Gaara's question when something else caught her eye. Behind Gaara, at the bar, stood her ex-boyfriend…and…

Temari pushed passed her confused brother and his even more confused boyfriend and stomped her way over to the bar, where Ino and Shikamaru were sitting. Shikamaru saw here and sighed as he muttered something under his breath. Ino turned to see what had caused Shikamaru's change in demeanor and saw that it was his ex.

"I can't believe this!" Temari said as she stood in front of the two. "You _did_ lie to me, Shika…there was someone else."

"There was no one else," Shikamaru sighed. "Can you just go?"

"Really?" she asked suspiciously. "Then why do I see you on a date to a party with the same girl who I _happened_ to catch with you in the back seat of her car? That's a little suspicious."

"This isn't a date," Ino corrected. "We just friends, and we're hanging out here together."

"Really?" Temari asked the other blonde. "So you weren't the one who invited him here?" Ino's eyes grew wide as a small blush appeared. "That's what I thought."

"She didn't invite me here on a date," Shikamaru said. "She told me about the party and told me I was free to come if I wanted."

"And she just _happened_ to bump into you?" Temari asked skeptically.

"No," Shikamaru said. "She told me when we were studying together…there was nothing accidental about it." Kiba looked from Gaara to his sister and noticed that her face was a similar shade to her brother's hair, presumably due to anger.

"You and Shikamaru aren't dating anymore," Ino said. "He broke up with you, so he doesn't have to put up with this bullshit." Ino said this loudly enough that it was attracting attention from more people, and people began to notice.

"He's not dating me anymore because _you_ decided to seduce him," Temari spat.

"I didn't 'seduce' him," Ino said, using air quotes, glaring back at the girl. "Yet," she added with a smirk as a brilliant idea burst into her head.

"Yet?" Temari asked.

"Yet?" Kiba repeated at the same time as Gaara.

"Yet?" Shikamaru asked, seeming to not understand what was coming.

Next thing he knew, Ino was pulling him forward by her collar and planting her lips against his own. It was very deep, but very short as she pulled away, leaving Shikamaru dumbstruck and Temari violently angry. People around the room started to murmur.

"Temari," Gaara called out. "Stop perpetuating this. You're only going to embarrass yourself." She looked around the room, just noticing that people were staring at the three people at the bar and the person who just spoke.

"This isn't over," Temari said as she turned back to the other two at the bar. She turned and stomped out of the party in anger as Suigetsu entered the room, passing her. He was holding hands with a girl, Sasame, who had a ridiculous look on her face.

"Did I miss something?" Suigetsu asked.

No one paid any attention to him, though. Everyone began to go back to the party and have fun, forgetting about the drama that had unfolded just a few moments.

"Your sister's kind of crazy," Kiba commented to Gaara as the party resumed.

"Tell me about it," the redhead muttered. "C'mon, let's get out of here." He pulled Kiba by the hand past Suigetsu (who gave him a wink) and up the stairs to the guest bedroom of the Hyuuga mansion. He'd used it before when he'd sleep over, but this was different…he had other plans.

"We don't have to do this now," Kiba said as they entered the room.

"Shut up," Gaara said. "I'm horny. What's the point of having a boyfriend – who I've already had sex with, mind you – if I still have to take care of my business by myself?"

That was all Kiba needed to hear before he plastered his mouth to Gaara's. Gaara opened his mouth, inviting the brunet's tongue. As the two kissed, they moved over towards the bed, never breaking contact. When Gaara felt the bed behind him, he wrapped his arms around Kiba and pulled him down, onto the bed, rolling over so that he was on top of the brunet.

Gaara detached himself from Kiba's neck to suck gently on the hallow of his neck. Kiba threw his head back and moaned in pleasure as he let his hands roam up Gaara's stomach under his shirt. He unbuttoned the top and threw it to the side along with the sleep cap. Meanwhile, Gaara started to unzip the costume Kiba was in.

"Costume sex is so hot," Kiba said as he pulled his mouth away from Gaara's. The redhead looked down at the boy still in the dog costume and smirked.

"Bestiality wasn't exactly the roleplay I had in mind," he said with a smirk as Kiba got out of the costume, surprisingly clad only in boxers. He reached for Gaara's pants and pulled them down in one fluid motion before Gaara pressed himself to his boyfriend and attached their lips once more.

Kiba pressed his clothed erection against Gaara's the two moaning as their cocks rubbed against each other. Gaara pulled his mouth away from Kiba's, panting, and started to lick down Kiba's stomach, swirling his lips over his perky nipples. Kiba bucked his hips into Gaara's chest in pleasure as Gaara smirked. He continued to lick down Kiba's torso until his tongue was touching his boxers. Using his teeth, he pulled Kiba's boxers down, freeing the brunet's throbbing erection.

After his boxers were off his legs, Kiba felt Gaara lick his cock from the shaft to the head, swirling it around the top before engulfing the head in his mouth. Gaara sucked in twice, and licked the head again before engulfing the entire cock in his mouth.

"Holy fuck!" Kiba screamed out as he felt Gaara's mouth surround his cock. Gaara moved his head up and down, causing Kiba to moan and whimper at the same time. "S-Stop," Kiba panted. "I want…oh god…I want to be in you so badly." Gaara pulled his mouth off Kiba's cock and smirked. He stood up and pulled his boxers down, causing his own erection to pop out.

"We don't have any lube," Gaara said. In response, Kiba pulled him down to bed and pushed him down on his stomach. He pressed three of his fingers in his mouth and got them very slick with saliva before pressing one into Gaara's ass. It was tighter than he remembered it being a week and a half ago.

He pushed his finger in and out before slowly adding a second one to help stretch his boyfriend out. After Gaara got used to it, he started to scissor Gaara' ass, making the redhead moan. Finally, he put in a third finger, making Gaara gasp. He pushed it in and started thrusting his three fingers in and out, trying different angles until he hit Gaara's sweet spot. When he found it, Gaara moaned out and Kiba pulled his fingers out of his ass.

Kiba aligned his cock, still wet with Gaara's saliva, to his asshole and slowly started to push in, making Gaara moan out in pleasure. Finally, Kiba was sheathed in the searing heat of Gaara and he started to wiggle his hips a bit to help Gaara adjust. The redhead, however, was impatient, and he pushed against Kiba's cock. Kiba smirked as he began to thrust into the tight ass.

"Fuck, you're so tight," Kiba said as he thrust in and out of the redhead, who was panting beneath him. Finally, Kiba's cock found the target that his fingers had, and Gaara shouted out.

"HolyJesusFuck!" He screamed out at the top of his lungs as Kiba continued to thrust in and out at the same angle to continually his Gaara's prostate. He slid his hands underneath Gaara and started to stroke his cock. "I-I don't think…I can last much longer."

"Neither can I," Kiba said as he continued to thrust. He leaned forward while continuing his motions to kiss the back of Kiba's neck. "You're so good," he whispered into Gaara's ear. Finally, he could feel that Gaara was ready to come. "Come for me," Kiba whispered.

That was all it took for Gaara to spill his seed onto the sheets below him and Kiba's hand. Kiba felt Gaara's rectum massage his cock while in his ass and he was pushed over the edge. He cried out his boyfriend's name as he rode out his orgasm, filling Gaara with his cum.

Finally, when he was done with his orgasm, he collapsed on top of the redhead. They got more comfortable and moved to the other side of the king sized bed from the cum stain Gaara created. They got under the covers and snuggled up together, spooning. Kiba was quick to fall asleep. Gaara turned his head to look at the brunet and smiled at his peaceful face.

"I think I'm falling for you," Gaara said with a smile as he fell asleep.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke had returned to silence in the elevator as the time passed. A glance at Sasuke's watch told him it was already 12:54…it had been over an hour that they'd been trapped in there, and no one had realized it.

He was getting very cold in the elevator, and he wondered when someone would find them. He was getting hungry and thirsty, and he had to go to the bathroom a little bit, too. Not to mention the fact that he hated enclosed spaces.

But that wasn't the only thing that had bothered him. He had just given up the one thing that could possibly make Naruto realize his feelings by telling him that he and Yuhiko weren't together. Although, there was a chance that Naruto had realized his jealousy in the last few days, it wasn't likely. But still, there was no way to find out if he didn't ask.

"Naruto," he said finally, breaking the blond from his own thoughts. "Remember at the cemetery how I asked you if you had feelings for me, and you told me you weren't sure?" He didn't have to look over to know Naruto nodded. "Have you figured it out?"

Naruto contemplated how to answer that question. Yes, he had figured it out, and he did have feelings for the raven, but he wasn't ready for Sasuke to know. He didn't know how Sasuke would react, and he had to figure out what he was going to do first. But he didn't want to lie and say he didn't know yet, or that he didn't have feelings for him at all. In the end, Naruto just stayed silent. Sasuke looked over to him, but when it became clear that Naruto wasn't going to answer, he faced forward again.

Finally, he threw his head back and sighed.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked.

"I'm fine," Sasuke said. "I'm just nauseous."

"Are you sick?" Naruto asked worriedly. "Are you coming down with something?"

"No," Sasuke said. "I'm just a little claustrophobic."

"What does being scared of Santa have to do with anything?" Naruto asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Dobe, you're such an idiot," Sasuke said. "Claustrophobia is the fear of small, tight, enclosed spaces, like an _elevator_."

"Oh," Naruto said, looking down at the floor. "Well, how are you doing?"

Sasuke looked over at him with a look that clearly said "I'm-claustrophobic-person-and-I'm-trapped-in-a-small-space-How-the-hell-do-you-think-I'm-doing-you-stupid-moronic-idiotic-dobe".

"Well, I'm here," Naruto said. "Not that it really would help you much."

"It's also so cold," Sasuke said. "Not to mention the fact that I'm fucking _starving_ and tired."

"Then go to sleep," Naruto suggested.

"Turn out the lights and I will," Sasuke challenged, causing Naruto to laugh. The blond stood up and walked over to the other side of the elevator where Sasuke was sitting. He then sat down so that his left shoulder was touching Sasuke's right shoulder. "What are you doing?" the Uchiha asked.

"Well, Hinata always tell me how unnaturally warm I am, and since you were complaining about the cold, I thought I'd come and warm you up," Naruto said. Sasuke shook his head with a smirk on his face and he closed his eyes, enjoying Naruto's warmth and the closeness between the two of them.

"Hey Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "I did." Sasuke looked up at Naruto with a confused expression on his face. "I realized whether I had feelings for you or not." Sasuke's breath hitched and he realized just how close he was to Naruto. Their lips were so close, but Sasuke kept himself from pushing forward. Not only did he want to hear Naruto's answer, but if they were to kiss again, Naruto would have to be the one to initiate it.

"And?" Sasuke asked quietly. Naruto didn't answer. Instead, he slowly inched his head towards Sasuke's gathering up the courage to put their lips together. And when their lips finally touched, it was like lightning struck. Animalistic instincts took over the soft moment as Sasuke and Naruto both kissed each other fiercely, their tongues battling a war for dominance.

They rearranged the way they were sitting without breaking the kiss, and Sasuke was soon sitting on top of Naruto, a bulge in his pants growing. He touched Naruto's chest over the shirt and realized that the article had to go. But before that, he needed to make sure. He reluctantly pulled his mouth away and looked into Naruto's blue eyes.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I've never been so sure of anything," Naruto said. Sasuke smiled as he ripped the buttons on the shirt his was wearing, just to get to the wonderfully tanned skin beneath it. He lowered his head and ghosted his mouth over Naruto's nipple before finally glomping down to suck on it. Naruto cried out in pleasure, realizing he'd never felt this amazing intensity with Hinata. Thinking her name made him realize he was essentially cheating on her, but he couldn't bring himself to stop this. It was too amazing.

Sasuke lowered his head down to Naruto's pants, where he saw the blonde's erection struggling for release. Sasuke was all too happy to appease it as he unbuttoned Naruto's pants and lowered the zipped. He pulled Naruto's pants down below his waste and subsequently freed Naruto's erection from his underwear. Sasuke wasted no time as he lowered his mouth to taste Naruto's erection.

He felt like he was in heaven, as if he was in a dream that he never wished to wake up from. He slowly lowered himself further on Naruto's erection until he was deep-throating Naruto, who had thrown his head back in pleasure.

Sasuke bobbed up and down on Naruto's cock as the blond moaned out loud. Sasuke pulled out all the tricks he'd learned in his various sexual experiences. He sucked lightly, and used his tongue a lot. He let his hands play with Naruto's balls as his mouth worked on Naruto's cock. Naruto couldn't last much longer. These sensations were nothing he'd ever felt before. His pleasure right now was more than it had ever been times a thousand!

"S-Sasuke," Naruto moaned. "S-Stop…I'm…I'm gonna…cum." Sasuke grabbed Naruto's asscheeks and pushed the blond as far into his mouth as he could as Naruto experienced the most mind-blowing orgasm of his life so far. Sasuke made sure to swallow every drop, and not let any of Naruto's fluids go to waste. Finally, when Naruto was starting to soften in his mouth, Sasuke stopped milking the cock and he sat up, smiling at the blond.

"Let me do you," Naruto said.

"You don't have to," Sasuke told him.

"I want to," Naruto said, locking eyes with the raven. Sasuke smiled once more and allowed Naruto to pull his cock out through his zipped. Naruto was mesmerized with it, having not seen it in months. He slowly touched it, and Sasuke nearly came right there with the intensity of the moment. Naruto grasped the shaft of the cock and stroked upwards once slowly before bringing it back down.

He continued these small ministrations until he figured it was time to lower his head. Just before his lips touched Sasuke's cock, however, the elevator lurched, and Sasuke and Naruto both jumped, startled.

"Hello?" came a voice from outside the elevator. "I'm sorry it took so long, but I'm gonna get you boys out, alright?"

"Th-Thanks," Naruto called out as he panted. The two stood up and got their clothes back on, never once breaking eye contact. "I have to talk to Hinata," he told Sasuke. "Not to mention Ino, Inoichi, and Kiba."

Sasuke nodded. "I'm gonna talk to Gaara and ask him to help me make sure Neji and Hinata take it well," he said. "Not to mention Sakura might kill me if she's the last to know." Naruto nodded.

"So what does this make us?" Naruto asked.

"What do you want us to be?" Sasuke asked.

"I…I want to be with you," Naruto said. "You told me back then that I'd have to choose between you and Hinata eventually."

"And?" Sasuke asked.

"I choose you," Naruto said with a smile.

**Please Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	21. Secrets

**Disclaimer: I own Naruto. No I'm serious…Some guy sold me the rights…he also sold me a bridge in Brooklyn. **

**This chapter was betaed by **LoveUntilWeBleed**.**

Chapter Twenty-One: Secrets

After Naruto and Sasuke were freed from the elevator, Naruto asked Sasuke to borrow his car while the latter went back to the room (using the stairs, thank you very much). Naruto knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep that night unless he did something that he was rather nervous about doing. He pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number and waited for the other person to answer.

"Naruto!" came Hinata's voice from the other side. She sounded worried, and Naruto felt bad about what he had to do. Guilt over what happened in the elevator started to creep up on him. He wasn't the kind of guy who would just cheat on his girlfriend. Not that it really felt like cheating…it felt so right. And maybe that was why Naruto was feeling guilty – because he didn't feel guilty.

"Hey, Hinata," Naruto said. "Sorry I didn't make it to the party."

"What happened to you?" she asked. "I was worried sick!"

"I got stuck in the elevator at my dorm hall," Naruto explained. "It just stopped, and I was in there for, like, three hours."

"Are you okay?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Naruto said. "Do you think we could meet up?"

"Now?" she asked. "It's 2:30 in the morning, can't we just meet up tomorrow? I'm so tired after the party."

"I guess I can wait until tomorrow," Naruto said. "Good night."

"I love you," Hinata said into the phone. Naruto's eyes widened, and he panicked. How was he supposed to respond to that? Instead of answering, Naruto just hung up, leaving Hinata confused on the other side of the line. She just brushed it off as him being tired…what else could it be?

Naruto, having resigned himself to a sleepless night, turned around and walked back into the residence hall and up the stairs to his room. As he walked up the three flights of stairs, the realization hit him that he wanted to be with a guy. Did that mean he was gay? But he was attracted to girls too, so was he bi? How would Ino and Kiba react? How would Inoichi react? How would Hinata handle the break up?

His eyes widened as he remembered his conversation with Neji about being sure he was straight and having feelings for Hinata. While at the time he was completely sure, he couldn't help but feel that Neji wouldn't be too thrilled with him. And Neji was one of Sasuke's best friends…what would happen if Neji and Sasuke had a falling out over Naruto?

Then, he thought of Kiba. Thank god he was with Gaara now, because how could Naruto explain that he wouldn't even think of indulging in Kiba's fantasies of the two of them being together, but when it came to Sasuke, he was ready to upturn his life? Would Kiba be mad, or would he understand? At least he has Gaara now; if he has a boyfriend, he probably wouldn't be as hurt as if he was still single.

Then he thought of what Dr. Kishimoto had said a few weeks ago. He had said that in many ways, Naruto was still bending over backwards to please Kyuubi, which was irrational. Naruto realized that Dr. Kishimoto was right – if it hadn't been for his biological father's blatant homophobia, he probably would have been much more open to the idea of him and Sasuke together. Heck, they might have gotten together before he had a chance to get into a relationship with Hinata.

But still, Naruto couldn't help but feel sad that his father wouldn't approve of who he wanted to be with. It made no sense – Naruto owed Kyuubi nothing. Kyuubi did nothing but screw up his life since he was a kid, and he culminated his life by doing the most unforgivable thing possible to Naruto – his own son! Why the hell did Naruto still feel like he was a disappointment to Kyuubi?

He reached the top of the stairs and sat down on the top step. He wasn't ready to go back to his room and face Sasuke again. He had to think of all the things that this entailed. He'd have to come out, and while he was sure that none of his friends would ostracize him, it would change the whole dynamic of his friendships, wouldn't it? He wasn't 'the straight one' anymore. Heck, the only straight guy who was in his entire circle of friends was Neji, who probably wouldn't be a friend for much longer.

That thought led to another even more disturbing thought. If Neji got mad at Naruto and Sasuke because of Hinata, would it end up in Sakura and Gaara having to choose sides? What if they agreed with Neji that what they did to Hinata was unforgivable? Would Sasuke lose all his friends? Would he end up resenting Naruto for it?

'_You're being ridiculous,'_ Naruto told himself. _'You're jumping into conclusions so far ahead of yourself that it's almost funny. You haven't even come out yet. Besides, Gaara and Sakura would definitely stick by Sasuke. Ino and Inoichi have no problem with Kiba being gay, so they won't have a problem with me being gay. And as for Kyuubi…'_

He instantly flashed back to the moment he was at the cemetery talking to Kyuubi's grave.

"_You never did anything to help me feel protected, safe, loved," Naruto said to the tombstone. "When my alternate personality came out as a kid, you covered it up and paid off the right people. You cared more about your own reputation than getting me help. But you still had to move away from Mizu to escape the scandal._

_That was the best thing that ever happened to me. When I was at Konoha Middle School and I met Ino, it was a blessing. Because then, when she and Inoichi found out about you, they were able to save me. I thank god every day that Inoichi is my father and Ino is my sister. But still, I can't get rid of you. It's like I was subconsciously trying to please you, even now. I've been doing everything I could to please you, even after what you've done to me._

"_But it's done now," Naruto continued. "I don't need your approval or you love, not that you've ever given me either." The cemetery was quiet for a long few moments while the wind picked up again. "But why couldn't you love me? Was it really that hard? Is there something about me that's completely unloveable? Is that why…why you…" he sighed, "raped me?"_

Naruto realized that that was the moment that had made him able to admit his feelings for Sasuke. When he had finally given up trying to please Kyuubi, Naruto had no more reason to be so defensive, so insistent that he _couldn't_ like Sasuke. He had finally decided it was time to be honest to himself.

He stood up and walked down the hall to his room. With a sigh, he opened the door to see Sasuke sitting at his desk. After hearing the door open, Sasuke looked up and smiled at seeing Naruto.

"Hey," he said. "I thought you were going out?"

"I called Hinata," Naruto said. "I wanted to break up with her."

"Wanted?" Sasuke asked.

"Still want to," Naruto clarified. "She just said she was too tired to go somewhere to see me, so I guess I'll just break up with her tomorrow."

"Are you sure about this?" Sasuke asked. "I don't want you to pick me unless you're 1000% sure that you want me." Although he wouldn't voice it to Naruto, his worst fear at this point was that Naruto would wake up the next morning and realize that he made a huge mistake by choosing Sasuke. Or worse, that _this_ was all a dream and Sasuke would wake up and Naruto would still be with Hinata. While he was thinking of this, Naruto walked over to Sasuke's desk chair and put his hands on Sasuke's shoulders.

"I'm 1000% sure," Naruto said, looking into the hypnotizingly black eyes of his…boyfriend? What was Sasuke to him now? Definitely more than friends and roommates, but Naruto was still officially Hinata's boyfriend at the moment. _'Screw it,'_ Naruto thought. _'I don't need to label this right now.'_ He slowly lowered his face to Sasuke's, realizing that this would be their first real kiss as a couple.

Their lips met, but sparks didn't fly like last time. This wasn't an explosive kissed fueled by lust, but rather a soft, slow kiss fueled by passion. This kiss was so much more intense than their last one, their feelings pouring into it, enhancing the passion a hundred fold. They didn't need their tongues to battle for dominance, and they didn't need to rip each other's clothes off at that moment. All that existed in the universe were them.

After a few moments, Naruto pulled away, and he couldn't help but smile widely. He was so happy, even with the threat of intense drama looming on the horizon. Likewise, Sasuke was sporting a smirk, enjoying that Naruto was _finally_ his. Finally, he could pull the blond into a kiss and know that the blond wouldn't push him away or freak out. Finally, he could touch the blond, and know that he wasn't crossing the line. It was about fucking time.

"I'm tired," Naruto said. "I think I'm going to go to bed now."

"Me too," Sasuke said, standing up from his chair. "How about we sleep together?" he asked suddenly, surprising Naruto. His shock was visible on his face, and Sasuke felt like an idiot. "Not, like, in a sexual way, but just…never mind."

"No!" Naruto said quickly. "I mean, I know what you're saying. And sure…that would be nice." He tried to fight a small blush creeping its way up, but he was quickly losing the battle. Both boys quickly changed for bed and they got settled into Sasuke's bed. Naruto was wearing no shirt and pajama bottoms, while Sasuke wore a night shirt and boxers.

"You know, it's kind of nice being like this," Sasuke said contently as he looked at Naruto's face, memorizing every contour.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed sleepily. "Hey, Sasuke, I have a question."

"Yeah?" Sasuke asked.

"Would you mind…if we didn't tell anyone about us for a bit?" he asked. Sasuke was shocked, and a little hurt. Did Naruto not trust his feelings enough to let people know? Personally, Sasuke wanted to shout this from the rooftops! Didn't Naruto just say before that he was entirely sure about the two of them being together?

"Why don't you want to tell people?" Sasuke asked. "Are you…ashamed?" He closed his eyes, not wanting to hear the answer, anticipating an affirmative response to the question.

"No, it's not that," Naruto said quickly. "It's just…I know Neji and Hinata will be mad at me for breaking up with her, but I don't want them to be mad at you, too."

"Unless you're planning on keeping it a secret forever, they'll find out eventually," Sasuke said.

"Yeah, but I'd like some time for us to be happy without the drama," Naruto said. "What if Neji and Hinata are so mad at you over this that it ruins your friendship with them? What if they are so mad that they make Gaara and Sakura choose between you and them? I just want some time to be happy before we have to face them."

Sasuke was quiet, contemplating Naruto's words, and as much as he hated to say it, Naruto made sense. Even though Neji was his first friend, they'd never been _best_ friends. That spot was always reserved for Gaara. When Neji and Sasuke first met, they'd hated each other. Every year in elementary school, they were in the same class, and even in middle school, they'd been in many of the same classes. And they'd absolutely loathed each other. It wasn't until Sasuke and Neji ended us as partners in a Language Arts project that they became friendlier. And then, in 7th grade, they actually became friends after Neji stood up to a kid that had been bullying Sasuke.

Once he saw a different side of Sasuke, Neji was quick to make the raven a friend. They had a similar personality, but Neji was much more sociable than the Uchiha. While Sasuke was distant and aloof, Neji was calm and cool. They were similar, but Neji didn't have a dislike of people in general like Sasuke had.

After a while, Neji and his best friend, Gaara, started sitting with Sasuke at lunch. Gaara and Sasuke became friends, too. They were much more alike, as they each liked their alone time. In 9th grade, Tenten moved to the school and she became friends with the three of them quickly, being the only loud and boisterous one of the group. Tenten also made friends with Sakura, which was how the pink-haired girl became part of their group. Sakura had a huge crush on Sauske, but was quick to give it up after Sasuke made it perfectly clear that he wasn't interested.

In 10th grade, Sasuke and Gaara had begun to notice how Neji was always mean to his cousin, Hinata. They didn't understand where the animosity came from, but when they asked, he'd explained that after his parent's died and he was adopted by his uncle, he was always treated as second-favorite. Hinata always got whatever she wanted, and Neji was treated as a nuisance – a burden. Jealousy gave way to anger and hate, but after learning of his reasons, Sasuke, Gaara, Sakura and Tenten convinced him to give Hinata a chance. Soon, Hinata and Neji were thick as thieves, and Neji was constantly protective of his cousin.

That was around the time when Sasuke had found out that his parents were killed because of Madara's association with organized crime. He had started to drink and he had become very closed off from his friends, especially Neji. It was weird – Neji's parents had both died, and his father's death was very similar to Sasuke's father's death. A disgruntled worker of Hyuuga Enterprises had killed his father, having mistaken him for his twin, Hinata's father. One would think that the similar deaths would have brought them closer together, but Sasuke started to revert back to how he was before he and Neji became friends. They started fighting often, once actually getting into a bad enough physical fight that Sasuke had broken Neji's arm and nose.

Even after Sasuke had gotten better, his friendship with Neji had never been the same. They were still friends, as Neji realized that Sasuke was in a very bad emotional place when it happened. But still, he never really trusted Sasuke as a close friend again. When Neji started dating Tenten, he got even more distant from Sasuke, spending less time with him and more time with Tenten.

Sasuke thought back to their senior year, when he and Neji nearly came to blows again. After that day when Itachi and Naruto had embarrassed him and made him a laughing stock in the school, Sasuke had gone out and gotten drunk. When he went back to class, he was very angry, and he got slightly physical with Tenten. Knowing of her history with abuse, Neji was quick to defend her, especially since he was angry with Sasuke for having turned back to alcohol. After all, it was alcohol that nearly ruined their friendship for good.

"_So what happened after you and Naruto left the lunch room?" Neji asked._

"_Well, they couldn't have had sex," Tenten reasoned. "Remember, Gaara took the condoms and lube that Itachi had given them after Sasuke left."_

"_We didn't have sex," Sasuke said angrily, trying not to slur. "Ever."_

"_What?" Tenten asked. "But Itachi said –"_

"_I don't care what fucking _Itachi_ said!" Sasuke yelled, causing Tenten to flinch, as well as earning himself looks from everyone in the room. "I never fucking slept with Naruto! I'm _not_ loud in bed, and I'm sure as hell not a _fuckinguke_!" He slammed his fists down on her desk, causing her to flinch again._

_Sasuke stood up and turned away from them ready to walk out of the classroom and just go home, but Neji wasn't going to let him. In anger over the way Sasuke had acted to Tenten, he had grabbed Sasuke's shoulder and pulled him back._

"_Don't you _dare_ speak to Tenten like that, got it, Uchiha?"_ _Neji asked with a snarl. He cuffed Sasuke's collar and lifted him up by it. Sasuke pushed Neji off him and shoved him into a desk._

Even though that was an isolated incident, he knew that Neji had lost some faith in him for turning back to alcohol. It was around then when Sasuke became much closer to Gaara and Sakura and he started to drift away from Neji. But still, even after the last month and a half of drinking, Sasuke considered Neji a friend. Neji was at the intervention, and Sasuke knew that he did want Sasuke to be alright.

But Naruto made a good point. Neji and Hinata had gotten extremely close (and that was partially Sasuke's fault, actually), and he wasn't sure that if push came to shove, Neji would be happy for Sasuke instead of being angry at him. In fact, he was almost certain that if Neji had to choose, he'd choose Hinata over him. And not only would that destroy _their_ friendship, but Naruto was right that there was a possibility that it would also affect the friendships that both he and Neji had with Sakura and Gaara.

"Yeah," Sasuke said finally. "I guess it would make sense to keep this on the DL for a little bit."

"Mmhmm," Naruto agreed, nodding. "Besides, we have this whole room to ourselves…it's not like we won't have enough alone time." Sasuke smirked at the thought of just the two of them in their room, never having to leave the room.

"Goodnight, dobe," Sasuke said as he settled into bed, surprising Naruto. He remembered that Sasuke had refrained from using the nickname for him since before Kyuubi had raped him, when they were pretending to go out before. He smiled, realizing that Sasuke was using the insult as a pet name.

"Sleep tight, teme," Naruto said smiling as he closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

* * *

_Naruto was cold. Not only was he cold, but he had no idea where he was. He opened his eyes and looked around, noting that there was a weird liquid on the ground. He stood up and noted that the liquid was actually water, and it actually rose up to his ankles. He looked around and guessed he was in some sort of sewer. There were green lights around the walls, illuminating the entire setting in an eerie light._

_The water made a splashing sound as Naruto walked down the sewer, hoping to find an escape. Eventually, he started hearing growling and he looked ahead to see what looked like a large jail cell. He ran up to it, wondering what was inside of the bars. Suddenly, he looked up to the red, slitted eyes of a giant fox, nine tails sticking out from its backside._

"_W-Who are you?" Naruto asked, fearful of the large creature that stood in front of him. The aura that the fox was letting out was one of pure evil, and it made Naruto more scared than he'd ever been in his life._

"_You don't recognize your own father?" the fox asked, paralyzing Naruto in fear. "Why, Naruto, I'm hurt."_

"_K-Kyuubi?" Naruto asked, swallowing a thick gulp of air. The fox smirked._

"_I don't get it, Naruto," the fox growled. "I thought I made it so that you _wouldn't_ want to be a fag? Do you really enjoy taking it up the ass after what I went through to make sure you'd hate it?"_

_Naruto closed his eyes and covered his ears, hoping that he could escape from this terrifying place. He could still hear the deep chuckling that he suddenly recognized as a more feral version of his father's voice. He squeezed his eyes tighter, chills running down his spine._

_Suddenly, he heard a creaking sound. He opened his eyes in shock to see that the door to the cell had swung open and Kyuubi had walked out. But he was no longer a fox, he was human. He was wearing the exact same clothes he wore on that day, and he had the same look in his eyes._

"_I guess I'm going to have to teach you the lesson again," Kyuubi said as he unbuttoned his pants. "Repetition is the key to teaching anything, I guess." He dropped his pants._

_Panicked, Naruto turned and tried to run, but he just ran in place, never getting any further from his father. He looked back and saw Kyuubi getting closer and closer to him and started to scream. He looked back down at himself and saw that he was now entirely naked as he tried to run through the sewers. Finally, Kyuubi pounced on him and Naruto felt the familiar searing pain in his ass._

"_Naruto!" Kyuubi yelled. "Naruto!" He kept repeating his son's name as he thrust in. "Naruto! Naruto! Naruto!"_

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, shaking the blonde's body. Naruto's eyes shot open, and he had a fearful look in his eyes that Sasuke had only seen three times before. Once had been after he was raped and Sasuke went to hold him while they waited for the paramedics. The second time was when Naruto had thought he was a girl and had a nightmare about Kyuubi raping him. The third time was just a few weeks ago, when Naruto had nearly been raped again. It was that broken look, that made Naruto look so vulnerable. "Naruto, are you okay?" Sasuke asked as Naruto buried his face in Sasuke's sleep shirt and began to sob.

"I-It was him, again," he sobbed. "And he…he r-raped me…again."

"Shh," Sasuke said, rubbing Naruto's back in a circle. "Kyuubi's dead. He can't hurt you anymore." Naruto continued to sob, but he eventually stopped, allowing himself to be soothed by Sasuke's comforting embrace. He hated feeling this weak…this defenseless. That was one of the reasons that he enjoyed being with Hinata – he always felt strong when he was with her. But at the same time, he would never go to her in this situation…he wouldn't feel comfortable feeling vulnerable in front of her.

"It felt so real," Naruto said eventually. "He said that he was disappointed that I wasn't turned off from being gay after what he did to me last time, and he should keep doing it so I 'got the lesson'." Sasuke was quiet, just listening to the blond.

"Maybe you should see Dr. Kishimoto," Sasuke suggested. "He'll probably be able to help you."

"I have an appointment with him scheduled for tomorrow," Naruto said quietly. "Besides, today I have to see Hinata."

"What are you going to tell her?" Sasuke asked, still rubbing Naruto's back in circles. "Obviously, you're not going to tell her the truth."

"I'm not going to lie to her either," Naruto said. "I'll just tell her that she deserves someone who loves her, and I just don't love her as much as I thought I did." Sasuke nodded, accepting this.

"Are you going to tell Ino and Inoichi?" Sasuke asked. "I'm sure they'd keep it secret if you asked them."

Naruto shook his head, even though it was still buried in Sasuke's chest. "It would be unfair for me to be able to tell my friends when you can't," he said. "We'll tell them soon, but we should just keep it between the two of us for now."

"Are you going to tell Dr. Kishimoto?" Sasuke asked.

"I think it's important that he knows," Naruto said. "Besides, it's not like he's allowed to tell anyone." Sasuke nodded.

"I don't want to let you go," Sasuke said, feeling silly. "I mean, I know we can't stay like this forever, but…"

"We can stay like this a little longer," Naruto said, causing Sasuke to smile and hug the blond tighter to him.

* * *

Later that day, Sasuke stood outside Mangekyo, wondering whether he should enter or not. No, he wasn't there for a drink; he was there for an entirely different reason. As much as he knew he should walk through that door, he knew that he didn't want to. He was there because he, too, had an appointment with Dr. Kishimoto later this week, and he had still not completed the one and only assignment that was given to him by his doctor: to talk out his issues with his uncle. But Sasuke knew that once he and his uncle really addressed the large white elephant in the room, things would change, and he wasn't sure that was what he wanted. He was comfortable with the way things were with his uncle, and the conversation they would soon have would transform the entire relationship.

He took a deep breath and walked in, immediately being hit with a sense of déjà vu. After all, it was less than a month ago that he was a regular here, and he shuddered, realizing that he was only living half a life for that entire period that he'd drowned himself in alcohol. He recognized a few faces at the bar from his time – they'd obviously not stopped frequenting the bar. He walked up to the bartender, Danzo, and cleared his throat to catch his attention.

"Haven't seen you here in a while," the old man said. "You're still not allowed to have any alcohol."

"I didn't come for that," Sasuke said. "Where's Madara?"

"He's upstairs," Danzo said, jerking his head towards the stairs behind the bar. Sasuke nodded and walked around the bar and up the stairs. He'd never been to his uncle's apartment before. He'd never had enough of a relationship with his relative to visit. He stood in front of the door to the apartment on top of the bar and knocked twice. He heard some shuffling from inside, and a few seconds later, his uncle opened the door.

"Sasuke," Madara said, shocked that his nephew had come to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"I think we have to talk," Sasuke said. Madara stepped to the side and wordlessly invited Sasuke into the apartment. Sasuke looked around and saw that the place was a bit of a mess. It looked somewhat like the average bachelor pad, but there was a distinct difference. A lot of the décor was really expensive. He probably got it with the blood money from his organization. I guess that was the price for his parents' lives – some good knickknacks and furnishings. This thought enraged Sasuke so much that he clenched his fists tightly. He could use a good drink from downstairs right now.

"What do you want to talk about?" Madara asked as Sasuke looked around the apartment. Sasuke's head shot to the side, as if he forgot the fact that Madara was there in the first place.

"I've started seeing a therapist," Sasuke said, looking to his uncle for a reaction. He received none. "We talked, and he thought that I had a lot of things I had to get off my chest. He told me to talk to you."

"I don't know what you think this will accomplish," Madara said. Sasuke had rehearsed what he was going to say, but he scrapped that. Having seen all the nice paintings on the wall and the antique vase that was sitting on a table in the corner of the room, Sasuke had something else he had to say more.

"How can you live with yourself?" Sasuke asked, shocking Madara. "All this stuff – the vase, the paintings, the rug – they're all profit from the organization." Madara sighed and turned to look at a painting of a woman. It looked like one of those portraits from the Renaissance, with one difference – she was wearing modern clothing. Sasuke looked at the painting, and saw that the woman was beautiful. She had short, dark brown hair and bright brown eyes. She seemed to have two purple, rectangular markings on each cheek that reminded Sasuke briefly of Kiba's fang tattoos. He turned back to Madara, who was still looking at the painting. "Kakashi told me about Rin and Obito," he said, shocking Madara. "They died because of your business, as did my parents. Everyone you touch is ruined because of your organization, and you live with all these tokens of what you've done! How can you live with yourself?"

"I don't need you to tear into me over it," Madara said. "I gave up the organization after Rin and Obito were killed, and your parents died after that anyway. And it was all because of me. But I blame myself every day for that. I had a life, a family, and now I have nothing. You don't have to remind me."

"Why do you live with all this stuff, then?" Sasuke asked. "Everything in here is something you've gained at the expense of your family."

"I know!" Madara said. "I can't wake up in the morning without seeing the antique night table drawer. I can't walk down to my business without seeing the hand-painted picture of the love of my life on the wall. I can't get to my fucking kitchen without passing that fucking vase. They're constant reminders that taunt me every day."

"Then why live with them?" Sasuke asked. He opened his mouth to continue, but Madara spoke first.

"Because I deserve it," Madara said, silencing his nephew. "I deserve to not be able to have a waking moment that I don't think of them. I can't erase their faces when I sleep, and I can't escape the reminders when I'm awake. But I do it because I don't _deserve_ to erase their faces or escape the reminders.

"You think you're the only one I've hurt, but that's not true," Madara said. "I've had hundreds of people killed in my line of work. I've destroyed homes, families. I've left orphans and widows and widowers without thinking twice about it. I was an evil person, a monster, and then Rin came around. She changed me, and that's when I decided to escape the business. But it wasn't easy. As soon as one of my associates found me, I was ready to pick up the organization from where it left off. And I had even more lives destroyed.

"I deserved to lose my wife, my son, my brother," Madara said quietly. "But they didn't deserve to die. It should have been me."

"You're damn right, it should have been you!" Sasuke yelled. "You should be the one rotting in the ground right now, _not_ my parents, and not even Rin or Obito! You think that your story will make me pity you, don't you? It's like Beauty and the Beast – you were a monster until she found you. But you're still the same monster you were back then. My parents died, and I didn't see you for five years. Five years that my only connection to my parents was my brother. If you were there for me and Itachi, maybe it would have been easier. And then, you show up out of nowhere again and start pretending to care. Well I've got your number. You didn't stop me from drinking because you give a damn about me. You didn't go to my intervention because you were afraid I was destroying my life. You did it because you know the _only_ reason I was doing it was because of _you_."

"You're wrong," Madara said. "I love you and Itachi. I never wanted to see either of you get hurt."

"Stop lying!" Sasuke yelled. "Your 'love' is toxic to everyone! You're not capable of love! You just admitted that you ruined _hundreds_ of lives without thinking twice. You're pure evil, and all you do is destroy. You destroy people, you destroy families, you destroy hope." Sasuke felt tears coming, but he never once sobbed. He let the tears fall silently while he yelled at his uncle.

"I would give my life in a second if it could bring back even one of your parents," Madara said. "I felt guilty about being the reason that Rin, Obito and your parents died, but I felt just as guilty towards you and Itachi. It was because of me that your parents were taken away, and even though Kakashi was there for you, it wasn't the same."

"You're damn right it was your fault!" Sasuke yelled. "But still, for years, you never tried to help us! You say you felt guilt towards us, but you didn't. You just wallowed in self-pity."

"I stayed away for your sake!" Madara exclaimed. "The four most important people to me had been killed in the space of a year. I don't think I could have handled it if you or Itachi was hurt because I spent so much time with you. Kakashi knew that's why I stayed away from you two."

"I don't know what Dr. Kishimoto expected of this," Sasuke said, more to himself than to his uncle. "It's not like I expected to come here and 'talk through this' and then we'd be one big happy family. This whole thing was a mistake." Without allowing Madara to say another word, he pushed past his uncle, slamming the door closed and running down the stairs. He composed himself enough that he didn't draw attention walking back through the bar to his car.

* * *

Naruto saw Hinata and sighed. After his little mini-breakdown this morning, Sasuke told him he had somewhere he had do go, and Naruto decided it was time for him to face Hinata. After all, he wanted to be able to do things with Sasuke without feeling like he was cheating. The sooner he broke up with Hinata, the better. So he called her up and asked her to meet him at the food court in the student union building.

When her eyes landed on him, she smiled brightly, which made Naruto feel guilty. She was in such a good mood that he hated to ruin it. He momentarily thought of postponing the breakup, but he shook his head. He couldn't do that to Sasuke. She ran to him and hugged Naruto to her, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"You missed so much at the party last night," Hinata said as she sat down. "Ino kissed Shikamaru and," she leaned in to whisper something to Naruto, "I saw Gaara and Kiba sneak out of my house this morning at 9:00 in the morning holding hands." Naruto was shocked, his objective momentarily forgotten as he realized he should have left early so he didn't miss out on the party. But if he went early, he wouldn't have gotten stuck with Sasuke, and he wouldn't be breaking up with Hinata right now.

"Listen, Hinata," Naruto said, trying to gather up his courage. "We need to talk."

Hinata's cheery smile faded and panic set in. It was the same feeling she had when Naruto didn't show up to the party and the same one she had when Naruto didn't say 'I love you' to her last night on the phone. And with the tone he was using, she couldn't help but think it was going to be a break-up talk.

"You're a really great person," Naruto began. "And you deserve –"

"Stop," Hinata said, shutting Naruto up. "Don't do that. Don't give me a line like that. If you're going to break up with me, just tell me so." Naruto sighed. Hinata half expecting him to soothe her fears. _"Calm down,"_ he'd say. _"I wasn't going to break up with you. There was a totally different explanation for me saying this."_ But those words didn't escape his lips. Instead, the words she'd been fearing slipped out.

"I'm breaking up with you," Naruto said, not looking Hinata in the eye. She didn't know what to do. Should she yell? Should she cry? Should she try to kill him? Maybe not that last one, but she was so mad, so upset, so…fearful. What was it that Naruto couldn't love about her? It was the same feeling she had when she found out that Kiba was gay, only a thousand times worse.

"Why?" was the only word she managed to say. She felt tears threatening to fall, but she didn't want to let them; not when she was in front of Naruto, anyway.

"You deserve to be with someone who loves you," Naruto explained. "I don't love you." Hinata felt a pang through her chest and she fought back her tears with the only thing she could think of – anger.

"Is it Sasuke?" she asked somewhat loudly, beginning to attract attention from nearby people. "He wasn't at the party last night, either. You weren't stuck in an elevator, were you? You were with him, weren't you?"

Naruto didn't know how to respond. The truth was he _was_ in an elevator, but he was also with Sasuke. But he didn't want to say that. After all, he was the one who pointed out that they should have some happiness before the other shoe dropped. But he also promised himself he wouldn't lie. Besides, if he lied, then when the other shoe fell, it would be a thousand times harder and louder.

"No other person could make me stop loving you," Naruto said, choosing to avoid a direct answer to the question. "The fact was that as much as I liked you, my feelings never really went further beyond that. I didn't realize it at first, but I realized that my feelings for you aren't as strong as I thought they were."

"You never answered my question," Hinata said angrily. "It was him, wasn't it?"

"Actually, it was Dr. Kishimoto who made me start to realize it," Naruto said. That was true, in part. Dr. Kishimoto had caused Naruto to step back and reevaluate his feelings for Hinata. "From there, I started to think more and more about it, and I realized that I don't love you like I should."

Suddenly, it started to make sense to Hinata. In the last few weeks, Naruto had been more distant. And they'd never really happened to go past second base – Naruto was always too nervous to take that step. Suddenly, Hinata's anger was gone and her sadness took over once more. Was Naruto just not attracted to her? Was that it? Maybe she wasn't a good kisser, and now she lost Naruto because he didn't find her attractive anymore.

"Is that why you never wanted to go further with me?" she asked quietly.

"I guess it was, subconsciously," Naruto admitted.

"I promise I'll get better at kissing and stuff," she said. "And if it's a matter of feelings, you can grow to love me."

Naruto shook his head. "I don't really want to grow to love you," he said, breaking Hinata's heart. "I believe that everyone has an 'other half' that they belong with. And I just don't think we are each other's half." Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and she began to sob. Naruto, feeling guilty for going this to her, moved to hug her and comfort her, but she pushed him away. He reached out once more, but she backed away, tears streaming down her face. That sight nearly broke Naruto's heart, but he told himself that it was for Sasuke. Hinata turned and ran away, not being able to stand there any longer.

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	22. Hinata Interlude

**Disclaimer: Just watched Star Wars, I have. Own Naruto, I do not. Very sad, Yoda is. :( **

**This chapter was betaed by **LoveUntilWeBleed**.**

Chapter Twenty-Two: Hinata (Interlude)

Hinata ran out of the food court without a destination in mind. She really just wanted to be alone. But if she went back to her room, there was a good chance Sasame (her roommate) would be there, and if she went to the Hyuuga mansion, she knew her parents would be home after being out last night. Instead, she decided to just sit down and cry underneath the staircase in the student union. From the spot she was sitting, she knew no one would be able to see her unless she wanted them to.

She couldn't express how heartbroken she felt. She thought she knew what it was like to have your heart broken when she realized that Sasuke was gay, and when she found out that Kiba and Gaara were gay as well. But it had never been this severe. She'd never let herself truly fall in love with them. But with Naruto it was different – he'd led her on, making her think that he loved her. How could he possibly do that to her?

She remembered how relieved she was when Neji had told her that he had interrogated Naruto about his intentions and how Naruto had responded. She had finally started to let her guard down, and then, BOOM, Naruto lowers the guillotine down on her head. Actually, it felt like he lowered it on her heart.

She never realized that when people said that their heart was broken, that there was actual pain involved. Her chest felt heavy as she quietly sobbed, and it felt like she was missing a piece of herself. She had so totally allowed herself to fall for Naruto, believing that he could actually be the one. She had so surrendered to her feelings that the pain she was experiencing now was so intense she couldn't believe it. How did people survive this? How could she survive this?

She started to think, and she realized she needed to talk to someone, to vent out her frustrations. She instantly thought of Neji, but she knew that her cousin would instantly leave to kick Naruto's ass. As much as she wanted to tell him, she wanted someone to comfort her, to know where she was coming from. That's when she realized who would know exactly what she was feeling.

She stood up and walked out from under the staircase, making sure no one saw her. She left the student union and instead went to one of the residence halls. She ran up the steps to the top floor and ran down, knocking three times on one of the doors. It opened to reveal a very angry looking Sasuke on the other side. But the anger on his face turned to shock as he saw who was in front of him, and exactly what state she was in.

As soon as she saw Sasuke, she flung her arms around him, hugging him tight and crying. Sasuke was positively shocked that this was happening. This was Hinata, whose boyfriend he effectively stole, and she was…hugging him? What the hell was going on?

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed to him as she pulled away. "I'm so sorry for dating Naruto." Sasuke was sure that the look on his face was one of pure shock and confusion. "I think I get how you felt for all those months that I was dating him, knowing that one of your friends was with the person you love."

Sasuke was even more shocked now. Had Naruto told Hinata that he was with Sasuke now? It sure sounded like he did, but he knew that Naruto wouldn't do that to him. They had agreed to keep their relationship secret for the time being.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked, letting Hinata into the room and closing the door behind her.

"Naruto broke up with me," Hinata said. Sasuke put on a look of mock shock, as he knew he wasn't supposed to know of the break up beforehand. That would be too suspicious. "And the first thought that came to my mind was that you had stolen him from me. And I'm so sorry, not just because of dating Naruto, but also because I thought you would do that, even though I do know that you wouldn't ever do that to me."

Sasuke gulped, beginning to feel a little guilty. Did he inflict the same pain on her that he had felt for the last few months while he wasn't with Naruto?

"Did he say _why_ he broke up with you?" Sasuke asked, trying to figure out what Naruto had told her.

"He just said that his therapist helped him figure out that he didn't really love me," Hinata said. "I-I told him that he could grow to love me, but he told me he didn't _want_ to." She started crying again. "H-How did you deal with it?"

"I tried to forget," Sasuke said, recalling the way he had just fallen into bed with Suigetsu without a second thought. "I found someone to rebound with, but that didn't work. And you know exactly what I started to do when I realized I couldn't just get over him; you were at my intervention." Hinata nodded.

"What about now?" she asked. "How are you dealing with not being with him now?" she asked. Sasuke started to panic. He had only given up drinking because he realized Naruto probably had feelings for him. That was the one thing that kept him from drinking for the week or so until last night. And now, Sasuke didn't need to deal with not being with Naruto anymore.

"I'm just going one day at a time," Sasuke lied, remembering that line from a cheesy movie. "But if it just happened today, then it won't be easy for you to just get over."

"I know," she said quietly. "But I don't want to rebound or drink. How else can I stop this pain in my chest?"

"I really don't think I'm the right person to tell you," Sasuke said. The room was silent for a little bit before Hinata spoke up again.

"I guess I'll go, then," she said. "But Sasuke, I really am sorry. I didn't realize how much I hurt you. I hope we can get over it now that I'm not with him anymore."

"Sure," Sasuke said awkwardly. This encounter had really made him feel guilty. It was easy to be mad at Hinata for what she'd done, but he went and did the exact same thing to her. A voice in the back of his head said that it was okay because he truly loved Naruto, but by gauging her reaction, Sasuke could tell that Hinata's feelings ran just as deep.

Hinata left the room and went downstairs to her car. As she pulled out, she noticed that Naruto was just parking his car a few spots down. She left the parking lot going the opposite way so she wouldn't run into him. After she left the parking lot, she drove into downtown Konoha, planning to do what Sasuke had done. Maybe it was time for a little liquid relief.

* * *

Kakashi was having a pretty boring day. It was a Friday, which meant that he was currently at Konoha High School, teaching. It was his ninth period class, and there were only a few minutes left to the period. Finally, he'd be able to end his very long, very boring week. He was planning on stopping by the Uchiha Mansion to see how Sasuke and Itachi were doing since he last saw them. He had spoken to Itachi two days ago and was happy to hear that Sasuke had indeed followed through in getting help and not drinking. All the same, he missed his foster children.

He looked at his class and smirked. They had a test today, but they'd all handed it in about 25 minutes into the period. It was a very short test. But still, Kakashi wasn't going to do anything with the other 20 minutes in the period. He was happy being just a babysitter for the last period of the week. He smirked as Konohamaru tried to sneakily talk to Moegi, his girlfriend who sat next to him, without Kakashi noticing. He also saw that Udon and Inari were texting, although probably not to each other.

He looked down at his desk at the picture of Rin that he kept there. It was, in Kakashi's opinion, the most beautiful picture of her. Her short, brown hair was slightly longer than usual, and it was tied back in a bun, which meant that the rectangular purple marks on her cheeks were clearly visible He smiled sadly at the picture. If only she'd chosen him over Madara, she'd still be alive. They probably would have had kids by now, and they'd probably be about Sasuke and Itachi's ages.

It happened every day. He'd think of what would have happened if Rin was alive and had chosen to be with him. He'd think of the family that he could have had, and he'd get angry or depressed, depending on the day. When he had been living with Itachi and Sasuke, he didn't let it show, as they needed him to be a strong parental figure. But when Itachi turned 18 and Sasuke was 16, they didn't need Kakashi to be on top of them. The arrangement of Kakashi living nearby worked well for them, but Kakashi started to feel so lonely.

His friends had told him to go out and start dating, look for someone else. But it wasn't that simple for Kakashi. Rin was his person. With her died the only hope Kakashi had of truly finding love, and it was impossible to revive her. Kakashi was so consumed in thought that he was surprised when the bell rang, dismissing the class. He stood up as everyone filed out and he waited by the door for the stragglers to gather their stuff and leave before he locked the door behind him.

He got in his car to go to the Uchiha mansion when his phone rang. He looked at it, surprised to see that Madara was the caller. Madara had only called Kakashi twice in his life – once when Fugaku and Mikoto were killed, and then again two weeks ago when Sasuke needed a stern talking to about his drinking. But Kakashi knew one thing – if he was getting a call from Madara, then something was wrong.

"Madara," Kakashi said as he picked up. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing bad," Madara said coolly. "I just need you to come to Mangekyo right now. It's urgent."

"Is Sasuke there?" Kakashi asked, worried that his foster son had started drinking again.

"No," Madara said shortly. "I just need you to be here soon."

"I'm just leaving work," Kakashi said. "I can be there in about a half hour if it's really that urgent."

"It is," Madara said. "Just hurry up." Kakashi was speechless when he heard the dial tone, indicating Madara had hung up.

He'd hated the few occasions he was forced to be around Madara. Ever since he married Rin, Madara was not one of Kakashi's favorite people. But after she was killed, Kakashi grew hatred for Madara, and had seen him only a few times. Once after Fugaku and Mikoto's deaths, when he explained why he was keeping his distance from Sasuke and Itachi. Then he saw Madara again when Madara had started to reconnect with Itachi. He was surprised when he went for a drink once and found out Madara owned the bar he went to (he stopped going there after that run in). Then he had to see him at Sasuke's intervention, and that was it. Now, Kakashi had to wonder what he had to see Madara for.

He said it was urgent, but it wasn't bad. That must mean it's something good that has to be addressed immediately. Kakashi couldn't think of what it could possibly be, but he continued to try as he battled traffic into the city. He managed to make pretty good time and got to the bar about 10 minutes before he promised he'd be there.

Instead of rushing in, Kakashi decided to use the extra time to smoke a cigarette. He had a stressful week at work anyway, and now he was going to have to face Madara. Personally, he'd rather get a cavity filled without Novocain. But that was just him…

When he was finally done with the cigarette, he took one last drag and dropped it to the ground, crushing it with his foot as he entered the bar. He saw one of his old favorite bartenders, Danzo at the bar. He walked over and ordered a beer.

"Madara asked me to meet him here," Kakashi said. "Where is he?"

"He's upstairs," Danzo said, giving Kakashi an opened Miller Lite. "He's a pretty popular person today." Deciding not to question the remark, Kakashi thanked Danzo and walked up the indicated stairs until he saw a door that would apparently lead to Madara's apartment. He knocked on the door, which was soon opened to reveal Madara.

"Glad you're here," Madara said. "I need you to do me a favor."

"A favor?" Kakashi asked. "I assume it involves Itachi or Sasuke."

"In a way," Madara confirmed. "I need you to be a witness as I sign my will."

"Sign your will?" Kakashi asked. "_That_ was your urgent business? Why couldn't you just go downstairs and have Danzo do it?"

"Because, I want you to know who I'm putting in my will," Madara said. "Please, read it."

"'_The Final Will and Testament of Madara Uchiha,'_" Kakashi read. "Are you sure you need _me_ to read this." Madara nodded and Kakashi sighed. "_'To my first cousin, once removed, Uchiha Shisui, I give his grandfather's talisman necklace, featuring the Uchiha crest and the Sharingan engraving. To split between my nephews, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke, I give my bar, Mangekyo, and my apartment on top of it. As for all my antique possessions, I wish for them to be sold and the money between them split to be used to pay for the college education of Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Shisui. I wish for all my cash assets to be split between my nephews, Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke as well. To Uchiha Sasuke, I would like to leave a key to my safety deposit box. I would like the executor of my will to be insistent that he open it. I would also like to leave to Hatake Kakashi_,'" Kakashi looked up at Madara and back down at the paper. "'_I leave the portrait of my deceased wife, Rin, that is currently hanging in the living room of my apartment atop Mangekyo.'_ Why would you leave that to me?"

"I know you love her, Kakashi," Madara said. "And my one regret was stealing her away from you. She would have been much happier with you, and she would have had a better, longer and more fulfilling life."

"Well, thank you," Kakashi said. "Who's Uchiha Shisui?" he asked suddenly, remembering the name from the will.

"Remember Fugaku and I had that cousin, Setsuna?" Madara asked. Kakashi nodded, remembering having met the cousin at Fugaku and Mikoto's wedding and again at Rin and Madara's wedding. "Shisui is his son. Setsuna was killed a few years ago after having taken up with a rival organization to the Uchiha."

"Did you…" Kakashi started.

"Of course not," Madara said. "I would never have my own cousin killed, regardless of what you may think of me."

"Sorry," Kakashi said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Now, where do you want me to sign?" Madara indicated the part of the paper, and Kakashi signed it. When he was done, he looked back up at Madara. "Are we done here?" he asked. Madara nodded, and Kakashi took his leave, taking a long look at Rin's portrait before exiting the apartment.

* * *

Suigetsu was a little pissed. At the Halloween party last night, he had arranged to join two of his brother's friends – Nagato and Konan – in some nice little three-way fun tonight, but Nagato backed out at the last minute. Believe it or not, Suigetsu never had a threesome and he was really looking forward to having one.

"You look like someone just pissed in your cereal," Kiba commented dryly upon seeing his boyfriend's roommate. Kiba had come over to hang out with Gaara, but seeing the normally cheerful manwhore in such a sour mood had been impossible to ignore, hence the crude remark.

"Fucking Nagato thinks having a threesome is 'too gay' for him," Suigetsu said, using air quotes where appropriate. "For fuck's sake, it wouldn't have been _that_ bad. He's just a fucking prude," he grumbled.

"So this is what happens when he doesn't have sex for a day?" Kiba asked Gaara as if Suigetsu wasn't right there. "He's moodier than you, Neji and Sasuke combined." Gaara smirked as Suigetsu glared at Kiba.

"You know what?" Suigetsu asked angrily. "Fuck you guys. I'm going to Mangekyo, and I'll be sure to get some ass."

"Just don't bring them back here," Gaara said, waving the blue-ish haired boy on. Suigetsu grabbed his jacket and was out the door.

That was how Suigetsu ended up in his car on the way to Mangekyo. Luckily for him, it was club night, so there were bound to be a bunch of people willing to have a one-night stand. It was always the easiest day of the week to find someone.

He parked his car and got out, locking the Mazda behind him. He looked in his side-view mirror one more time to make sure he looked good and he smirked to himself, brimming with self-confidence. But when he walked into the bar, he saw the most shocking sight of his life. It was so shocking, that the usually somewhat composed teen dropped his jaw and gaped dumbly.

Hinata was there. And she was holding a huge glass of wine. And she was dancing. On the bar.

"Hinata?" Suigetsu asked as he approached her, not sure whether or not his mind was playing tricks on him. That couldn't really be Hyuuga Hinata. No, she was too much of a goody-two-shoes to be drunkenly dancing on a bar in a club. That couldn't be her.

"!" she exclaimed happily as she jumped down, stumbling and landing in Suigetsu's arms. The boy was so stunned that it had, in fact, been her, that he didn't know how to react. All he knew was that something was wrong if Hinata had drunken herself so silly. He barely even registered that she spilled the wine all over him until she giggled out an 'oops' and a 'sorry 'bout that'.

"What are you doing here?" he managed to ask once he got over the initial shock.

"It was S'ske's idea," she mumbled/slurred. "He said that when…when Naruto broke up with him…" she trailed off as if she forgot what she was talking about. In that brief second, Suigetsu was more confused than ever. But finally, she regained the thought, and a look of enlightenment crossed her face as she remembered. "When Naruto went all nutty and shot him, he tried to drink to forget." She seemed proud that she was able to get out the sentence in just one shot. Well, almost.

"So why are _you_ drinking?" Suigetsu asked, not seeing the connection between the two.

"Silly Suigetsu," she said, bopping him on the nose with her index finger. "N'ruto dumped me t'day," she said, followed by a yawn. She blinked her eyes sleepily. Suigetsu was pretty surprised upon learning this as well. Naruto and Hinata had seemed like the perfect couple. You know the ones, the people who are high school sweethearts, go to prom together, marry young, have kids, and have a nice house with a picket fence. At least that was how Suigetsu saw them. Suddenly, Hinata's face transformed, losing the sleepy look and gaining the look of pure sadness. She pouted drunkenly. "He doesn't wanna love me anymore," she said.

"Well, you're an emotional drunk," Suigetsu mumbled, more to himself than to Hinata. It wasn't like she would understand a coherent sentence if it spelled itself out for her. Not in this state, anyway. "You're pretty wasted," he said finally. "Why don't you pay for the drink and I'll bring you back to your room."

'_I guess I'm not getting any ass tonight,'_ Suigetsu thought with a sigh. _'But if I let her stay here, my conscience will eat me out…I mean eat at me! Gah, I'm so horny I'm just _thinking_ sexual thoughts!'_

"I have a tab, silly," she giggled. It was so sticky sweet that it made Suigetsu want to puke. But he knew that personally, he was just as bad a drunk. In fact, he was probably sillier than Hinata was when he was drunk. That's why he's the life of the party. Although the one difference between himself and Hinata is that he'd be going around the room throwing himself at anything with two legs and a heartbeat.

"Then let's get you home," Suigetsu said as he led Hinata out to his car. He laid her down in the back seat as she started to mumble before he got into the car himself. He pulled out and started to zoom back to the university. If he made good time, he might be able to go back out and get laid after all. With that motivation, he was able to make the twenty minute trip in less than ten minutes.

When he parked in the parking lot next to her residence hall, he noticed that Hinata had fallen asleep in the car ride. He sighed and lifted her up, carrying her up to her room. When he got there, he knocked, hoping her roommate would be there and would be able to take her off his hands – literally. Alas, he had no such luck. He laid Hinata down on the ground and went through her pockets until he found the key.

He brought her in, and he instantly knew whose bed was hers and whose her roommate's was. One side of the room was disgusting. It looked like a foul bachelor had been living there for years. The other side was nice, clean and proper. Take a guess as to whose side was whose. As he carried her to the neat side, he saw a picture of her and Naruto on her desk. He gently laid her down on her bed and turned to leave when he heard Hinata wake up.

"Wait," she said. Suigetsu turned and looked at her. She didn't look like she really was aware of anything. "Come back here; I want to tell you something." Suigetsu turned and walked back, kneeling over her so he could listen to whatever she had to say. But instead of saying anything, she grabbed him and pulled her down on top of her, kissing him.

Suigetsu didn't know how to react to this. Well, that's a lie. His brain knew what he should do. She was obviously drunk, and she would regret whatever happened in the morning. He should just walk away and go into the city and get laid there by someone else. Too bad he wasn't thinking with the right head.

A part of him shouted that it was wrong to take advantage of her. That part was immediately silenced when she deepened the kiss, allowing her tongue to enter Suigetsu's mouth. _'The gas it would take to go into the city and then back to the university would cost too much money,'_ Suigetsu thought. _'I could just stay here and save some money'_

Stupid excuses aside, Suigetsu decided to turn off his brain and just let pleasure dictate his actions in the next few hours. Instead of pushing Hinata away, he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.

**This was where the het lemon was going to go, but I got really bored doing it, so I'm just saying [insert lemon here]. Besides, none of you clicked this story for a SuiHina lemon. Or at least I don't THINK you did. If you did, then you're lucky because this wasn't planned for me, so congrats on telling the future. Anyway, I'm rambling in this little 'author's note within the story' for no reason except the fact that I'm uber tired, so deal with it. I'm so tired, that I used the word 'uber'. Jeez, I have to shut up…anyway…**

Suigetsu opened his eyes and immediately felt a sense of shame. He knew that he just made a huge mistake by caving into his animalistic desires. He was pretty sure this was a form of date rape, right? He shook his head. It wasn't ethical, but he doubted that it counted as rape. Either way, he didn't want to stick around and wait for her to wake up and freak out.

He tied the condom, making sure that it wouldn't leak all over the sleeping Hyuuga and he creeped out of the bed, butt naked, being careful as to not disturb her. He walked over to the trash can and threw the condom out before putting his clothes back on, writing a quick note, and heading out the door.

If Suigetsu had paid more attention to the condom, he would have seen that there was a small detail that would soon impact his future drastically. You see, he didn't notice, but as he walked over to throw out the condom, said contraceptive device was leaking.

* * *

Hinata woke up the next morning with a smile on her face, despite the throbbing headache she had. Even though she didn't remember much of last night, she _did_ remember that she and Naruto had the most amazingly mind-blowing sex that anyone could ever experience. How could anything be better?

She rolled over, expecting to see said blond sleeping peacefully beside her, but the bed was empty next to her. She felt the bed and she was surprised that it was cold. No one had been in the bed but her for hours. She was confused now. Naruto didn't seem like the type of person to have sex with her and then leave. She looked over and saw that her roommate wasn't there. She remembered that Sasame said something about going home for the weekend.

She got up and immediately went to her roommate's desk. Sasame was a party girl through and through, and she definitely had some Advil on her desk for a hangover. Hinata couldn't remember whether the headache was alcohol induced or not, but she knew that Advil would help. She popped two of the pills and walked over to her desk, noticing a new addition to it. She saw it was a note, and she assumed it explained why Naruto wasn't in bed with her.

_Hinata,_

_I'm sorry for last night…I never should have let it go that far. That was my bad._

_Suigetsu_

_P.S. You were pretty good._

_P.P.S. I do feel sorry about you and Naruto._

She stared at the note with confusion. Why was Suigetsu writing her a note? What did he mean that he shouldn't have let it go that far? And what did he mean about being good? And why did he feel sorry about her and Naruto?

Slowly, memories from the previous night flooded back to her memory. The breakup, the visit with Sasuke, the drinking, Suigetsu at Mangekyo, passing out in his car, and waking up in her room, and of course, the sex. It all came back, and Hinata dropped the note, paralyzed in shock by what she did. She…had sex…with Suigetsu?

No, that couldn't be. Her first time was supposed to be with Naruto. It was supposed to be special. It wasn't supposed to be a one-night stand with someone she barely knew while she was drunk. How could she do that? She felt so…unclean, so violated. It was consensual, but she felt ashamed by what she did. She was torn between taking a shower to feel clean again or hiding under the covers in her bed and not getting out. She chose the latter.

**Please Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	23. Coming to Terms

**Disclaimer: [Insert awesome, funny, amazing disclaimer].**

**This chapter was betaed by **LoveUntilWeBleed**.**

Chapter Twenty-Three: Coming to Terms

_It was just how it happened the other night. Naruto was trapped in some sort of sewage pipe, an eerie, green light reflecting on the pools of water around his ankles. Remembering what occurred after he moved towards the large jail cell, Naruto took off running in the opposite direction. He ran and ran and ran and ran, as fast as his feet could take him. But he wasn't getting any further from the cell. In fact, even though he was running away from the cell, it was as if the cell was getting closer to him._

_Finally, he gave up running and turned around to face what he knew lay in the machine. Again, he stared into the red eyes of a giant fox, its nine tails waving around behind it. It's pupils were slits, and it gave off the same angry, evil, malevolent air. Naruto was frozen to the ground in fear of what was to happen next._

_But the cell door didn't open. The fox didn't take the form of his father, and he wasn't raped again. Instead, he heard the pitter patter of someone running through the water towards him from behind. He turned to face the noise, but he only saw a shadowy figure coming closer. Finally, when the figure was close enough, the light shone on his face, and his features were illuminated for Naruto to see._

_It was Sasuke. Naruto felt relief pour over him as he ran to meet Sasuke in the middle. He was happy to see that he wouldn't be facing his evil father, but instead would be with his boyfriend._

"_Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed as he embraced the Uchiha. "Thank god you're here! I have no idea what's going on! Where are we?"_

"_We're someplace special," Sasuke said, holding onto the blond tightly so he couldn't break free. It wasn't Sasuke's voice that spoke, however. Although it was the raven's lips that moved, it was in fact Kyuubi's voice that came out. Naruto tensed and struggled to break free of Sasuke's grip, to no avail. "Someplace you will never escape."_

"_Let me go!" Naruto growled as he struggled._

"_No!" came Sasuke/Kyuubi's reply. Naruto stopped fighting as he felt the body around him transform. He felt the chest puff out, the arms grow with muscle. He felt the clean shaven face that he'd pushed his own face to slowly change shape and grow facial hair. He felt the hands resting on his back turn into sharp claws, and he watched the pitch black orbs turn to red, a slitted pupil taking form._

_Naruto began to fight to break free once more. He struggled even harder this time, but he was pinned down to the ground easily. He felt his body become paralyzed as he was flipped over on his stomach, his face buried in the water. His ears were the only thing left above the surface. He was suffocating, but he never died. He didn't pass out. Instead, his chest constricted, his air supply thinning. But still, he could feel and hear everything going on._

"_As long as you're a faggot, you're going to have to deal with this," he heard Kyuubi say as the larger man tore his pants off. He was left solely in his underwear after Kyuubi stripped him of his shirt. "Look at you, lying there. It's pathetic. To think that such an insignificant insect is my own spawn." Naruto tried not to sob as he struggled for air. "You're not my son. You don't deserve to be someone's son. But you deserve one thing."_

_As soon as Kyuubi had finished saying the last word, Naruto felt his underwear disappear. It wasn't ripped off like his shirt and pants had been; it just vanished. He felt the cold breeze touch his ass and he tried to pull himself up. He needed to get away. He couldn't sit there and just let it happen._

_But he couldn't move. All he could do was lay there as Kyuubi –_

Naruto's eyes snapped open and he let out a horrible sob. It didn't register to him that Sasuke was in his bed right now; he just leaned into the Uchiha and began to sob again. Sasuke tried to sooth Naruto, but it wasn't working. It was the second night that they had been together, and it was the second night in a row that Naruto had had a nightmare. Sasuke knew that this nightmare – whatever it was – had something to do with him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sasuke asked softly as he rubbed Naruto's back in circles. Naruto stopped sobbing upon hearing Sasuke's voice, and he shook his head. "You might feel better."

"I don't want to," Naruto said verbally, his eyes puffy from the crying. He sat back, away from Sasuke, trying to look impassive. He hated feeling this way, and he hated that he didn't know if it would ever stop. After he'd remembered the rape, he'd have frequent nightmares of reliving the night, but they were never like this.

The last two nights, instead of the rape being the central part of the nightmare, it was the words that made it so horrible. The things Kyuubi had said to him, even if it was just his own subconscious, made Naruto feel guilty about dating Sasuke. And then, after seeing how amazing of a boyfriend Sasuke was being, Naruto felt guilty for feeling guilty. He just wanted it all to go away. Why couldn't he just be happy for once?

"Alright," Sasuke said, taking Naruto's cue and getting off the bed. "You have your appointment with Dr. Kishimoto today, and I have mine tomorrow," he reminded the blond after looking at his calendar.

Naruto nodded. "I remember," he said, the usual cheerfulness absent from his voice. "I think I'll leave in a half hour and get breakfast on the way."

"You don't want to have breakfast together?" Sasuke asked, not wanting to push the blond. Naruto was obviously having a tough time and he didn't want to seem too demanding or pushy.

"Oh, sure we can have breakfast together," Naruto said. "I'm sorry, I'm just not used to…this, yet." Sasuke nodded in understanding and the two went about their morning routine: showering, dressing, brushing their teeth and hair. Finally, the two went to the school's cafeteria to get some breakfast.

After they got their meals – eggs, ham, bacon and toast for Naruto, cereal for Sasuke – the two made their way to a table and sat down across from each other. They both began to eat, not knowing what to say, but Sasuke decided to speak up anyway.

"I spoke to my uncle the other day," Sasuke said, surprising Naruto. It was a good surprise, though, because it took away the awkward silence that began after Naruto's nightmare. "Dr. Kishimoto suggested I do it to clear the air between us."

"I didn't know you and your uncle had problems," Naruto said. Sasuke nodded.

"My uncle…he was a leader of a criminal organization," Sasuke explained. "His enemies were the ones who killed my parents." Naruto's eyes widened, and he dropped his fork, which clanged against his plate.

"H-How did that go?" Naruto asked. Sasuke's face shifted, and he looked down to the ground next to him.

"I don't know what he expected," Sasuke admitted. "It's not like seeing my uncle would…take away the pain."

"All this time," Naruto said in wonder. "You're uncle is responsible for your parents' deaths?" Sasuke nodded. "I don't know what I would have done if that happened to Inoichi. I don't know if you know this, but I don't exactly handle bad situations well," he said with a smirk. Sasuke snorted as Naruto took his finger and moved it in a circular motion next to his head, indicating he was crazy.

"I didn't exactly handle it well," Sasuke said, chugging an imaginary shot glass to show Naruto exactly how he reacted. Naruto's mouth formed an 'o' in understanding, as if he'd suddenly gained insight into the Uchiha's past. "I…I said a lot of things to him the other day."

"Like what?" Naruto asked.

"I called him a monster," Sasuke said. "It just got worse from there." Naruto nodded in understanding. The blond placed his own hand over Sasuke's to show his support and Sasuke gave a small smile.

"I'm glad you told me," Naruto said. Sasuke was going to respond before he heard Kiba call out to Naruto from behind him. Immediately, their hands flew back to their sides as the brunet strolled up to their table.

"What's up?" he asked, sitting down at the open seat on the third side of the table. "You weren't at the Halloween party the other night."

"We got stuck in the elevator," Naruto said, indicating Sasuke and himself. "It was really late by the time they got us out."

"That sucks," Kiba said. Naruto and Sasuke nodded in agreement. "So I heard you broke up with Hinata. Neji's pretty pissed."

"How'd you hear that?" Naruto asked, surprised that it was already public knowledge.

"Suigetsu saw Hinata plastered at Mangekyo last night, and she told him about it," Kiba said. "Suigetsu told Gaara, who told me."

"She got _drunk_?" Sasuke growled out, surprised. Kiba nodded and Naruto looked at Sasuke confused. "She came to me yesterday, hoping to know how I got over Naruto not loving me," he explained, a light blush tinting his face. "I told her to not use me as an example, because all I did was have sex and get drunk."

"Well, I guess she only heard half of your advice," Kiba said before turning back to Naruto. "So what happened that made you break up with Hinata?"

Naruto thought he was spared from answering when he saw Gaara walk up and take the seat across from Kiba. He'd hoped that the redhead's arrival would change the conversation direction, but instead, it just made things worse.

"When did you and Sasuke get together?" Gaara asked as soon as he sat down, eliciting a deep blush from the blond and an open jaw from the raven. Kiba just sported a look of utter disbelief, shock and confusion.

"W-What?" Naruto asked. "H-How…What…Who…"

"Are you planning on finishing any of those thoughts, or are you just going to continue your impersonation of a tomato?" Gaara asked nonchalantly as he took a bite of his omelet.

"Don't kid around, Gaara," Kiba said. "Naruto and Sasuke aren't together." Gaara swallowed the food in his mouth and smirked. Sasuke glared at Gaara warningly and Naruto remained looking like a deer in headlights.

"Well, Naruto and Hinata broke up the day after Naruto and Sasuke were no shows to the party," Gaara said as if it was obvious.

"They were stuck in an elevator," Kiba explained. "It's not like they decided to ditch the party so they could get it on in their room."

"What exactly _happened_ in the elevator?" Gaara asked with a smirk. Naruto's blush deepened and Sasuke even felt heat rise to his cheeks. Kiba took notice of the reaction and started at Naruto in disbelief.

"Is he right?" Kiba asked Naruto. "Are you and Sasuke…" he trailed off, not wanting to even broach the subject in his mind. Naruto looked to Sasuke for help, and Sasuke gave a curt nod. Naruto sighed and decided to admit the truth.

"Yes," Naruto admitted, infuriating Kiba. "But we –" Naruto couldn't finish his sentence before Kiba pushed his chair out from the table and stood up, fists clenched in anger. Instead of staying to hear Naruto, Kiba just walked away lividly. Naruto, ignoring the other two at the table, stood up to follow the brunet. "Wait, Kiba!" he called as he ran after his friend.

Gaara and Sasuke watched the events unfold before them in silence until Naruto and Kiba were both out of the cafeteria, when Gaara sighed.

"He still has a thing for him," Gaara said quietly, shocking Sasuke. "It's not like he doesn't like me, but he still feels something for Naruto."

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said, not knowing how to comfort his friend.

"No, it's not your fault," Gaara said. "I just…I feel Kiba and I growing closer, but I also know there was a piece of him that was still holding out hope that Naruto would change his mind."

"You shouldn't be with him if he's not entirely committed to you," Sasuke said.

"But I'm not totally committed to him either," Gaara admitted. "I feel myself falling for him and I know he's falling for me, too. But there's still something stopping both of us from really reaching that point where we can say we love each other."

"You two haven't been together that long," Sasuke said.

"That's not the point," Gaara said.

"Then what's stopping you?" Sasuke asked. Gaara shrugged and Sasuke seemed shocked. The redhead was always very perceptive.

"Neji's gonna be pissed," Gaara commented. "About you and Naruto."

"I know," Sasuke said. "We were hoping to keep our relationship a secret for a little bit until we figure out how to make things easier for Neji and Hinata to understand."

"That's an awful plan," Gaara said. "Out of all your plans, this one has got to be the worst thought out one."

"What do you suggest?" Sasuke asked, growing angry. "If we told Neji and Hinata, they wouldn't understand. They'd see this as a betrayal."

"And time will help?" Gaara asked. "Lying to them will make it easier on your friendship when you eventually tell them?" Sasuke looked away, not having realized that flaw earlier.

"If Hinata finds someone else, then it won't be as big a deal," Sasuke said.

"The lie will be," Gaara said. "The trust between you and Neji will be gone forever." Sasuke was silent. "Look, in the end, it's your choice. I won't tell anyone, and I'll make sure Kiba doesn't either. But just think about telling him. He might be angry for a bit, but I think it'll be better in the end."

Meanwhile, in the hallway outside the cafeteria, Naruto finally caught up to his brunet friend.

"Kiba, please stop and listen to me," Naruto begged. Kiba turned and looked at Naruto, his face red with anger and his eyes glaring. But Naruto also saw tears at the corner of Kiba's eyes, threatening to fall.

"How could you do this to me?" Kiba asked. "I was in love with you…I-I still am. But you wouldn't even consider being with me because 'you're not gay'. And now, you've done a complete 180. I haven't seen you in 24 hours and now you're suddenly gay _and_ in a relationship! How could you be with Sasuke so easily when it was impossible for us to be together?"

"Sasuke and I getting together hasn't been easy!" Naruto exclaimed. "This has been coming for a really long time, and my stubbornness has been the only thing keeping Sasuke and I apart."

"I've always had feelings for you!" Kiba said. "When I first met you, I knew there was something special about you, and I became your friend. But I realize now that I always wanted to be with you. And I got over it because I knew that you couldn't ever see me that way. But now –"

"I still can't see you that way," Naruto said.

"Why not!" Kiba demanded. Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but Kiba didn't let him. Instead, Kiba pulled the blond to him and planted his own lips on the other boy's. At first, Naruto didn't respond, shock taking over his body. It was nothing like his kisses with Sasuke or Hinata. This was…desperate. Almost like Kiba needed this to survive. With Sasuke, it was sometimes a passion-fueled desperation, but it was never like this…this was…sad.

Kiba, taking advantage of Naruto's shock, decided to deepen the kiss, licking the inside of Naruto's mouth. After feeling Kiba's tongue touch his own, Naruto was finally torn from his shock and opened his eyes, ready to pull away, but something stopped him. When he opened his eyes, he saw the tears falling down Kiba's cheeks silently, but he also saw something else. He saw the sheer focus and determination, as if the entire world relied on the kiss. He didn't need to ask to know that Kiba was putting his all into the kiss.

Naruto felt incredibly guilty. He had been unfair to Kiba in a way. The brunet was right…Naruto's sole excuse for not becoming more than friends with Kiba was because he 'wasn't gay'. But now, he didn't know. Was he gay? Was he bi? What was he? He didn't know what to do. Should he indulge in Kiba's fantasies momentarily to make him feel better? Should he pull away and possibly ruin his friendship? Was there a "How To" manual for dealing with his life?

He felt something against his back and he realized it was the wall. He didn't notice that they had moved from the middle of the hallway to the wall. That was what cinched it from Naruto. He finally regained control over himself and he gently pushed Kiba away. The brunet kept his eyes closed for a second after the kiss was over, but when he opened his eyes, Naruto's heart almost broke.

It was the same look Sasuke gave him that day that Naruto went to visit Sasuke in the hospital after he'd shot him. It was the look of defeat; the look of unrequited love.

"I'm sorry…" Naruto said. Kiba shook his head and stormed off away from the cafeteria. Naruto sighed and was ready to return to Sasuke and Gaara when he looked up and saw someone standing in front of him.

"What was that?" Ino asked Naruto, who was just about ready to have a heart attack from shock. At the same time, he was thankful – it could have been Gaara who saw the kiss, or worse: Sasuke. He sighed and begun to tell her the story about the elevator, Sasuke, Kiba, and the kiss.

* * *

Kiba was so confused.

He was currently sitting down on his bed, grateful that Neji was out and wouldn't be back for a while. He wanted to think about what just happened, but he didn't want to at the same time. He thought he had started to get over Naruto, but he got so furious when he heard that Naruto was with Sasuke. The worst part is that he knew it wasn't fair to anyone – Naruto, Sasuke or Gaara.

Things had been going so well with Gaara. He hadn't expected to feel so comfortable with the redhead when they first started going out, but it was so easy. It was weird, because in a way, they were complete opposites. Gaara was quiet and reserved, whereas Kiba was loud and outgoing. He especially hadn't thought that he and Gaara would be consummating their relationship again so soon. But they weren't drunk when they slept together at the party – they knew what they were doing, and they wanted it.

So why was he still so hung up on Naruto? He hated how the blond was so opposed to being with him, but he was able to accept it when Naruto said he was straight. But now, he was with Sasuke, and that hurt. It was like Naruto had used his sexual orientation as an excuse to not attempt a relationship with him.

A knock on the door broke him from his thoughts. He mentally sighed and stood up to see who was at the door. He opened it and saw Ino standing there, and he reluctantly let her in. After years of being friends with the blonde, he'd learned that she would just talk to him from out in the hallway, and he didn't need half the dorm to hear whatever she had to say.

"Naruto told me about what happened," she said. Kiba groaned and threw himself on the bed, whishing that the world would just swallow him whole. "I figured you'd want to talk."

"He told you about Sasuke?" he asked, spitting out the raven's name like it was fire. He saw Ino nod and he grew even louder. The more people who knew about Naruto and Sasuke, the more real it seemed for Kiba. "I really did love him."

"But why does that matter?" Ino asked, sitting down next to his lying form. "You have Gaara now. Aren't you happy with him?"

"Of course," Kiba said immediately, sitting back up so that he was next to Ino. "But…I still feel something for Naruto. I have for so long, and I don't think that'll ever fully go away." Ino was silent for a moment before speaking up.

"I wouldn't want to date you either," she said. Kiba recoiled, acting like he'd been slapped in the face.

"Why not?" he asked, offended.

"I didn't mean it like that," she said, trying to convey the right message. "You and Naruto are my two best friends. You're both like brothers to me, forgetting the fact that he's my foster brother. I couldn't imagine dating either of you. I think that's why Naruto would never even consider a relationship with you."

"But…we're best friends," Kiba said. "Isn't there a cliché about best friends falling in love? Isn't that supposed to happen?"

"Not always," Ino said. "When in real life has that happened?" Kiba was silent for a moment, contemplating what Ino said. He couldn't think of any of his friends who got into a relationship with a friend. "It might work for some people, but you and Naruto aren't like that."

"We could have been," Kiba said softly. Ino closed her eyes, starting to become angry, and stood up to face the brunet.

"How can you be so selfish?" Ino asked harshly, shocking Kiba. "Naruto has been in such a tough place the last few months, and he's finally coming to terms with who he is and what he wants. And then there's Gaara, who has been an amazing boyfriend to you. Do you know what you did back there to him? Can you imagine how he felt watching you leave in a jealous rage?" Kiba looked down, not wanting to face the truth of what Ino was saying.

"You couldn't understand," Kiba said.

"I understand completely," Ino said. "You had feelings for Naruto, and now that he's with Sasuke, you feel like you _should_ be angry. But instead of focusing on what you think you should be feeling, focus on what the guy who you claim to love is feeling. His feelings for Sasuke are strong enough that he was willing to break up with Hinata and risk flipping his world upside down just to be with him. You don't realize that you might be throwing a great chance of love out the window just because of your _past_ feelings."

Ino and Kiba were silent following her tirade. Ino didn't want to push Kiba too much and hurt the friendship they had, and Kiba just didn't want to admit that Ino was right. He was a lousy friend and an even worse boyfriend. Ino, convinced she'd made her point, left the brunet's room, the door slamming behind her.

Kiba laid back, looking up at the ceiling. He still had feelings for Naruto, he knew, but they weren't the same as his feelings for Gaara. The thought of hurting Gaara hurt Kiba so deeply, and he knew that these feelings were real. It was like his feelings for Naruto were fading as his feelings for Gaara were strengthening. He still felt something for Naruto, but when he actually thought about it, he wasn't sure that he would dump Gaara for Naruto if the blond were to change his mind.

* * *

Naruto sat on the couch in the familiar office, not sure what to say. There were so many things that had happened since his last visit: he'd gotten stuck in an elevator, got together with Sasuke, broke up with Hinata, had two similar nightmares, and dealt with a friend who wanted to be more. So much had happened, he didn't know what to start with.

"Sasuke and I are together," Naruto said, noting the total lack of surprise on the psychiatrist's face. "We got together two days ago, and I broke up with Hinata."

"I hate to sound cliché," Dr. Kishimoto began, "but how did that make you feel?"

"It's nice," Naruto said. "It was so hard for me to realize I had feelings for him, but now that I'm with him, it's such a relief. Even breaking up with Hinata, as hard as it was, was just so freeing."

"And you're happy with Sasuke?" Dr. Kishimoto asked with a smile.

"Yeah," Naruto said with a big smile that started turning smaller. "But there's this problem." Dr. Kishimoto sat up straighter, wanting to hear what problem his patient could have if he was so happy. "Ever since Sasuke and I got together, I've been having these nightmares."

"What kind of nightmares?" the man asked.

"They start off and I'm in some sort of weird sewage system," Naruto began. "Everything's tinted with green, and there's a giant jail cell. And inside is a huge orange fox with nine tails. And…the dreams keep ending with my father, and he…" Naruto trailed off, not able to say the rest of the words. "He keeps repeating what he said that night, that it was all because I was gay and he had to make me not want it."

"Have you and Sasuke been sexually active?" Dr. Kishimoto asked before a giant blush spreading across Naruto's face.

"N-No," Naruto said. "We've just kissed a few times. We slept in the same bed the other night, but it wasn't sexual."

"Would you be opposed to the relationship turning sexual?" Dr. Kishimoto asked.

"No," Naruto said. "I mean, we're both teenagers. Any relationship is going to have some sort of sexual component to it, right?" Dr. Kishimoto nodded. "But I…I just can't handle the dreams. I've only had two of them, but I wake up and…I feel just like I did that night. It's not just remembering it, it's re_living_ it. I don't think I can keep going through it. How do I stop them?"

"Well, there are methods people resort to when they have troubles with debilitating nightmares," Dr. Kishimoto said. "Some go to hypnotherapists, some try therapy – which is obviously not the answer to your question – and others try to take different medications to ease their minds."

"So you're saying I should try to get hypnotized or do drugs?" Naruto asked, not sure what the doctor was implying. Dr. Kishimoto, however, shook his head.

"I think the cure for _your_ dreams has to do with your circumstances," Dr. Kishimoto said. "You've been getting the dreams since you began your relationship with Sasuke, and they seem to show a general nervousness for engaging in intercourse." Naruto, of course, started to blush at the blasé reference to sex. "I'm not saying that you don't want to be with Sasuke, but subconsciously, you connect your emotional relationship with Sasuke to what your father did to you months ago.

"I think you and Sasuke have to have a very serious talk about your relationship," Dr. Kishimoto continued. "You have to set boundaries, and tell him what you're comfortable with."

"What if I don't know what I'm comfortable with?" Naruto asked.

"Find out," Dr. Kishimoto said. "From what you're telling me, you're probably not ready to go all the way with him yet, and you might not be for a long while. Sasuke has to realize that you aren't going to be ready for everything he's ready for. And you have to realize that after what you've gone through, it could be mentally harmful to push yourself past what you're ready for. You can't let yourself feel pressure to go further than you're truly ready.

"You have to figure out exactly where that line is that separates what you're ready for and what you're not," Dr. Kishimoto said. "I know that many times, when one partner in a relationship is sexually experienced and the other isn't, the inexperienced one will feel like they should push themselves into a sexual experience that they aren't ready for to make their partner happy. Whenever that happens, the relationship becomes strained and the one who pushed themselves ends up in a bad place. For you, that situation could be even more damaging due to your history.

"Rape is a serious thing," Dr. Kishimoto continued. "The scars that it leaves emotionally and mentally are usually far worse than those that it leaves physically. Many times, rape victims are incapable of ever having another sexual experience, but I don't think that'll be the case with you. But still, you've been through an ordeal, and if you push yourself too far, you might end up back where you were a few months ago."

Naruto was silent. He had expected Dr. Kishimoto to tell him that the dreams he had been having were a subconscious message to not go too far with Sasuke too soon, but to hear that it could put him back in the hospital was frightening.

It was so unfair. After months of suffering, he was finally starting to feel happy. But Kyuubi still wouldn't leave him alone. It felt like so long ago, yet it's still always there. It won't leave him alone. He can't sleep without seeing that face. He wondered if he would ever get over it. Would the power Kyuubi still had over him ever disappear? How could he move past what happened to him if it kept happening to him every night as he slept?

"Why does this keep happening?" Naruto asked, trying not to begin crying. "After I realized I was a guy, I thought I was in the clear, that the suffering was over. But then, Kyuubi haunted me any time I saw Sasuke. And after that was over, I thought I had finally put it behind me, but now it's back again. It keeps coming back." Naruto's tears started to flow, and he couldn't stop them.

"Any time my life because livable, he comes back," he sobbed. "It's like he's haunting me, even in death. And I can't fucking stop it! He's always there, whenever I close my eyes. And now I can't even be with Sasuke without Kyuubi fucking showing up and ruining it for me! Why? It was bad enough that I went crazy for months, but now that I'm finally getting my life back on track, it's threatening to send me right back to that place! Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?"

"Nothing," Dr. Kishimoto said. "You didn't deserve what Kyuubi did to you, but it happened. Everyone faces challenges in their lives, and yours happen to be worse than most others. But I'm confident you can pull through this, and I'm not just saying that because you're paying me by the hour."

Naruto smiled as he rubbed the tears from his eyes. He looked down at his phone and realized that the session was over. He thanked Dr. Kishimoto and started to think about how to talk to Sasuke about the nightmares. He had to have that talk that Dr. Kishimoto suggested.

* * *

After Naruto had come back, he and Sasuke had gone out for an afternoon of just walking around the city and talking. They both had a nice day, and Naruto enjoyed it so much that he'd forgotten about the talk he was supposed to have with Sasuke. But it was okay, as he would do it when they got back home.

Finally, after an early dinner at Ichiraku's, the two decided it was time to go back to the university. Sasuke had made dinner plans with Sakura, and Naruto wanted to start his paper for his chem class.

But when they got to their dorm room, they knew something was wrong. When they entered, laughing and holding each other's hands, they were shocked to see three people standing inside. Naruto recognized Itachi and Kakashi, but didn't know who the third one was.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sasuke asked, confused.

"We have some bad news," Kakashi said. "Sasuke, I think you should sit down."

"Just tell me," Sasuke said, not wanting to beat around the bush. Kakashi nodded to the other man, and he begun to talk.

"I'm detective Yurio of the Konoha Police Department," the man said. "This afternoon, your uncle, Uchiha Madara was found in his apartment." Sasuke's heart took a plunge, but he refused to accept what he knew he was about to hear. "A bartender at his bar, Danzo, found his body."

"He hung himself," Itachi said.

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	24. Guilt

**Disclaimer: I should own Naruto. If I did, I'm sure every yaoi lover would be sufficiently happy. All those yaoi haters could just go watch another anime and read another manga.**

**This chapter was betaed by **LoveUntilWeBleed**.**

Chapter Twenty-Four: Guilt

Ino slammed the door of the stairway hard as she reached the roof of the building. It was generally where Shikamaru hung out (not wanting to be disturbed by people and all), and she was having a pretty lousy day. She had a need to talk to someone, and she knew Kiba and Naruto wouldn't do, as they were the problem.

"Have a problem?" Shikamaru lazily asked from the spot he was laying on. He had his feet stretched out and his arms cradling the back of his head as he looked at the sky.

"It's Naruto and Kiba," Ino said as she took a similar position next to the lazy teen. "Something happened today, and I think that it'll be really bad for our friendship."

"Whose friendship?" Shikamaru asked. "Yours and Kiba's, or yours and Naruto's?"

"The friendship we all have together," Ino clarified. "Mostly because I think it'll hurt _their_ friendship with each other."

"Well, what happened?" Shikamaru asked, sounding bored.

"I don't really think I can tell you that," Ino said, sounding apologetic. "I mean, I shouldn't even know about it, but I walked in at the wrong moment."

"Don't worry about it," Shikamaru said with a shrug, causing Ino to blanch.

"What do you mean?" Ino asked, as if Shikamaru's words were foreign.

"Don't worry about it," Shikamaru repeated. "It's not like making a fuss will help anything. Just sit back and watch things play out." Ino, filled with rage for some reason, sat up and glared at the laying Nara.

"How can you say that? I can't just sit and do nothing if their friendship might fall apart! I have to help!" she insisted. She gave an angry huff and stood up. "I don't see why I thought talking to you would help. You're so lazy; _obviously_ you'd tell me to sit back at and do nothing. It's no wonder you don't have any friends!" She stood up and glared one more time at the brunet, anger continuing to surge through her.

"Ouch, that's harsh," Shikamaru said apathetically.

"You know, I don't see what Temari ever saw in you," Ino said. "You're always doing nothing. You never want to hang out, you never want to socialize. Life is just so 'troublesome' for you!"

"You got me there," Shikamaru admitted before yawning. His blasé attitude did nothing except anger Ino further. She glared at him and was ready to start yelling at him. How could he be so…lethargic? What was wrong with him? But instead of yelling at him further, Ino decided to just leave. She didn't have the patience to deal with Shikamaru right now.

As she neared the doorway to the stairwell, Shikamaru spoke up one final time. "Involving yourself won't help them," he said. "Trust be, being a little hands-off every once in a while never hurt anybody." Ignoring him, Ino walked back inside, as Shikamaru sighed.

"She's so troublesome," he muttered.

* * *

_He hung himself._

At first, Sasuke didn't really understand. Slowly, his hand fell from Naruto's, and those three words kept repeating in his mind as he tried to make sense of what his brother had said. Finally, it clicked in Sasuke's head, and he felt numb. Madara had killed himself. Just days ago, he was alive and well, and now…he was no more.

Sasuke noticed that Kakashi and Naruto were looking at him, trying to gauge his reaction. Itachi wasn't looking at him at all, almost as if _he_ was in shock himself. The detective stood with a stone cold expression, probably all too used to delivering such bad news. Sasuke's mind continued to repeat those three words, and he refused to believe it.

"No…that can't be," Sasuke said, breaking the terse silence that had enveloped the room. "I just saw him the other day. Why would he –" He broke off, realizing exactly _why_ Madara might have taken his own life. His chest panged, but he still refused to believe it.

"The medical examiner's office puts time of death around 7:00 this morning," the detective said. "The body had been there almost 12 hours before he was found. I'm really sorry, kid." Sasuke momentarily flashed back to what he had said to Madara in his last encounter.

"_I deserved to lose my wife, my son, my brother," Madara said quietly. "But they didn't deserve to die. It should have been me."_

"_You're damn right, it should have been you!" Sasuke yelled. "You should be the one rotting in the ground right now, not my parents, and not even Rin or Obito!"_

He clenched his fist as he remembered the harsh words that he'd said. He practically _told_ Madara to kill himself. His blood ran cold as he realized that he was the reason that his uncle died.

"Sasuke," Naruto said, reaching out to hold him. But instead of accepting the blonde's embrace, Sasuke pushed him away. He looked around the room from one face to the other: Naruto's showing concern, Itachi's showing sadness, and Kakashi's showing something Sasuke couldn't put his finger on. As he looked upon the face of the detective, he realized it was real. Ashton Kutcher wouldn't jump out of the closet with a camera, and no one was going to shout "April Fools".

Sasuke shook his head, the reality continuing to sink in. He couldn't breathe; the entire room was spinning, and Sasuke was suffocating. He couldn't stay there any longer; he turned around and ran out the open door, down the corridor, and down the stairs. When he finally got out of the residence hall, he continued running. When he was outside of the university, he still kept running.

He ran and ran, and he didn't even have a direction or destination in mind. He was just letting his feet carry him somewhere, hoping for his brain to shut down. He didn't want to think; he didn't want to feel. He just wanted to be numb again. He just wanted to lose himself, even if it was just for a night.

Eventually, he stopped running, and he looked up to see where he had gone. He wasn't exactly shocked to see his feet had carried him outside a bar. It wasn't Mangekyo, but another one that he had frequented after Madara refused to let him drink there anymore. He realized that the bar was a good twenty minutes from the university by car. Even though it felt like just seconds had passed since he was in his dorm room, almost an hour had passed.

He walked in and was greeted by the bartender, who questioned why he hadn't been by in a couple of weeks. Sasuke mentally berated himself – he promised he'd stop. He was only able to last two and a half weeks before he succumbed to his need to drink again. They would all be so disappointed in him – Kakashi, Naruto, Itachi, Gaara, Neji, Sakura. He had promised them all to stop, and here he was again.

Before he had to ask, his usual was placed in front of him. He reached out to it with a shaky hand and picked it up. He sat there, looking at the glass before putting it back down on the counter. It was the hardest thing he'd done in a long, long time. He was trying to resist the urge to take a drink, and it became harder and harder to do with each passing second.

"_You're wrong about me being the reason you were drinking," Madara said. "I love you and Itachi. I never wanted to see either of you get hurt."_

"_Stop lying!" Sasuke yelled. "Your 'love' is toxic to everyone! You're not capable of love! You just admitted that you ruined hundreds of lives without thinking twice. You're pure evil, and all you do is destroy. You destroy people, you destroy families, you destroy hope." Sasuke felt tears coming, but he never once sobbed. He let the tears fall silently while he yelled at his uncle._

"_I would give my life in a second if it could bring back even one of your parents," Madara said. "I felt guilty about being the reason that Rin, Obito and your parents died, but I felt just as guilty towards you and Itachi. It was because of me that your parents were taken away, and even though Kakashi was there for you, it wasn't the same."_

"_You're damn right it was your fault!" Sasuke yelled. "But still, for years, you never tried to help us! You say you felt guilt towards us, but you didn't. You just wallowed in self-pity."_

Thinking of Madara again had finally broken the last of his will power. He reached out once again and picked up the glass, giving it one look before taking a first sip. As the cold liquid slid down his throat, he felt the familiar feeling of burning, and it comforted him. He was about to down the rest of t when he felt the glass be torn from his hand. He looked up and saw Itachi standing next to him, and Sasuke was shocked upon seeing him. The older Uchiha looked like a conglomerate of emotions, and Sasuke couldn't place any of them.

"I have enough to deal with right now without having to worry about you again," Itachi spat. "It's bad enough that the first place I thought you'd go to was a bar, but it's even worse that I was right."

"You have no right to judge me," Sasuke said angrily, although he wasn't sure exactly whom he was angry with. "You can't imagine what I'm going through right now."

"Of course I do," Itachi said. "Neither of us was close with Uncle Madara, and that's probably made it harder. He was out last real connection to mother and father, and now he's gone. And neither of us made any attempt to forge a connection with him."

"You still don't get what I'm feeling," Sasuke said. "You're sad that you lost the chance to have a connection with him. I…I'm the _reason_ he's gone!"

"You can't blame yourself," Itachi said, his voice growing softer. He sat down on the stool next to Sasuke and looked at the glass he'd taken before downing it himself. "It wasn't your fault that he…" Itachi trailed off. Sasuke was almost speechless that his brother was acting so…weird. He'd never been one to express much emotion, but he was always so together, so articulate.

"I _saw_ him the other day," Sasuke argued. "We got into a big fight, and I told him that he deserved to die!" Sasuke took small satisfaction in the fact that he managed to make Itachi freeze in surprise. "The next thing I know, he's killed himself. That's not a coincidence." Itachi was silent, and Sasuke took the opportunity to catch the bartender's attention and silently order another drink.

Seconds later, the bartender placed the drink on the bar in front of Sasuke, the younger Uchiha thanking him. As he reached to grab the drink, Itachi beat him to it and downed the drink, angering Sasuke. But it's not like he could really be too angry. He knew he shouldn't be drinking.

"I was never really good at pep talks," Itachi said after he placed the empty glass back down on the counter. "Maybe you should go talk to Kakashi."

"I don't _want _to talk!" Sasuke yelled. "I don't want a pep talk. All I want is to lose myself tonight. I want to forget who I am and what I did. And I want to forget that Uchiha Madara ever existed, if only for tonight."

"Well, after two drinks, I don't think I can drive," Itachi said. "Unless you want me to go out and possibly get into an accident, you better drive me home instead." He threw his keys at Sasuke, who caught them and scowled. It was just Itachi's way of trying to get Sasuke out of the bar, but it was successful. Sasuke sighed and walked out to the car with Itachi.

When they arrived at the Uchiha mansion, Sasuke texted Naruto and told him that he would be sleeping at the mansion tonight. He didn't want the blond to worry. After scouring the house for liquor and finding none whatsoever, Sasuke decided to just give up for the night and go to bed. But as soon as he closed his eyes in his bed, only one face came up, and he couldn't sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Kiba woke up and he went over to Gaara and Suigetsu's room to find his boyfriend. He desperately wanted to find Gaara and apologize; he felt so guilty for how he acted yesterday. But it seemed that Gaara went out, and he wouldn't answer Kiba's calls or texts. Kiba knew that the redhead was ignoring him, and he felt a pang in his chest, realizing that he really _had_ hurt him. He knew he had to find him and force him to listen to him.

He decided that while he waited for Gaara to stop ignoring him, he would go to Naruto and apologize to him as well. After all, he probably put the blond through a lot as well. He just hoped Sasuke wasn't there. He was pretty sure Naruto would have told Sasuke about the kiss, and he didn't want to deal with Sasuke being jealous.

He knocked three times on the door and heard a shuffle from inside before the door opened. Kiba was shocked when he saw Naruto. The usually bright and sunny blond had bags under his eyes and looked worried. The second he realized that Kiba was standing in the doorway, his face fell, and Kiba felt hurt. Not that he deserved any less reaction after what he pulled yesterday.

"I wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday," Kiba said. "What I did was unfair to you, and I shouldn't have put you in that position."

"It's okay," Naruto said, surprising Kiba. He expected at least a little bit of anger or even the slightest bit of awkwardness in the blonde's voice, but it wasn't there. He just seemed…distant.

"What's going on?" Kiba asked worriedly. "Did something happen?"

"It's Sasuke," Naruto said, letting the brunet in from the hallway. "His uncle died last night, and he ran off and spent the night at his mansion." Kiba nodded in understanding.

"You thought I was him before you opened the door," Kiba said, realizing exactly _why_ Naruto's face fell. The blond nodded and Kiba was somewhat grateful. Whatever happened with Sasuke had put what happened between the two of them yesterday right out of Naruto's mind, and Kiba was eternally thankful for that. "Does Gaara know?" he asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Sasuke might have told him, but I doubt it," he admitted. "I think he wants to be alone." After a moment of silence, he spoke up again. "Do you think he's been drinking?"

Kiba shrugged. "I don't really know him that well," he said, noting the way Naruto didn't really like his response. "If you're so concerned, why don't you call Gaara and tell him about Sasuke's uncle. I'm sure Gaara will know where Sasuke is and he'll make sure that he's okay."

"Yeah," Naruto said, sounding as if he was trying to convince himself. "Gaara will know what to do."

"And Naruto?" Kiba asked as the blond picked up his phone. Naruto looked up at the brunet quizzically and Kiba sighed. "When you call Gaara, tell him that I want to speak with him and that it's important."

"Sure," Naruto said. As Kiba left the room, he dialed Gaara's number, hoping to dog that he would be able to help Sasuke.

* * *

Gaara had never been so relieved in his life. When he had first learned from Naruto that Sasuke's uncle, Madara, had killed himself, his heart sunk knowing that Sasuke was probably taking it _really_ hard if Naruto couldn't even get through to him. Heck, a part of him believed that if the blond couldn't help Sasuke, then no one could. But still, he owed it to his friend to try.

He'd looked all around the city for the Uchiha. He had gone to the mansion, where Itachi told him that Sasuke had left early in the morning and he wouldn't pick up his phone. He went by all the bars in the city, hoping that someone had seen him. He wasn't sure if it was lucky or unlucky that no one had. He checked with Neji, Suigetsu, and even Kakashi. No one had seen or heard from Sasuke all day. He went to the university, but still no luck.

The sun was setting when Gaara had finally found the Uchiha's car, hence the relief Gaara was feeling. It was one of the last places that he looked, but logically, it should have been one of the first places he looked.

After Sasuke found out about his uncle's involvement in his parents' deaths, Sasuke had run away, the stress of the situation becoming too much for him. The next morning, he was found near a small creek hidden in the woods outside the city limits suffering from hypothermia. He was taken to the hospital and treated, but ever since then, he'd disappear here every now and again when he wanted to think without any disturbances.

Gaara pushed the tree branches out of the way and crouched as he made his way to the clearing where the creek was. He saw Sasuke sitting facing the water, his back against a large oak tree. He was sleeping, although upon closer examination, Gaara found that the raven had been crying earlier.

He was at a loss of words, or thoughts as the case may be. It seemed he was taking this harder than Gaara would have expected. Sasuke and Madara hadn't really ever been close, and Gaara assumed that he was mourning the chance that was lost to grow closer. But that didn't explain exactly why he was so distraught. He chose to leave the people who loved him – Gaara, Kakashi, Itachi, Naruto – to cry in the most isolated place in the area. How could Gaara help him when he didn't even understand why Sasuke was taking it as hard as he was?

He sighed and backed out of the clearing, knowing that he wouldn't be of much help to the Uchiha. He was never really good at making people feel better, and he was already in a shitty mood about everything going on with Kiba that he was sure he couldn't infect the Uchiha with any happiness. He pulled out his phone when he got out by the road and dialed Kakashi's number, hoping that his former teacher would be better equipped to deal with Sasuke.

"_Hello?"_ came the voice on the other line. _"Did you find Sasuke?"_ the masked man asked over the phone.

"Yeah," Gaara said. "He's by the river outside of the city, and I think he needs you."

"_I'll be there in twenty minutes," _Kakashi promised. _"Keep an eye on him until I get there."_ With those words, Kakashi and Gaara simultaneously hung up, and Gaara began walking back into the woods. He'd stay there and watch Sasuke like Kakashi wanted, and he'd take advantage of the peace and quiet to think over his own problems.

Not that he had many problems to think over. In fact, it was only one, and Gaara was pretty scared about it.

Kiba had been calling him and texting him since yesterday afternoon. Twenty missed calls, sixteen voicemails that had been deleted before being heard, and thirty-nine texts that he refused to check were all glaring him in the face at the moment. A part of him was excited that the brunet was making an effort to reach out to him, but the other part of him was scared shitless.

What if he wanted to break up with Gaara? He'd certainly seemed heartbroken enough when he learned of Sasuke and Naruto's relationship. What if that had been the wake-up call that told the Inuzuka that what he had with Gaara was just a fling and his true feelings lie with Naruto? Could he handle it if the brunet decided to break up with him?

_Kiba wants to talk to you._

Those were Naruto's exact words. Obviously he'd seen Kiba today, or else he wouldn't know about the fact that Gaara was ignoring him. He didn't think that Naruto would sabotage his new relationship with Sasuke, but he wasn't sure about Kiba anymore. How could one little incident rock their relationship to the foundation?

What if their relationship really didn't have a foundation?

Gaara and Kiba had _slept together_. That was how their relationship started. It started off without feelings, and they'd tried to make feelings grow from it. Thinking objectively, it wasn't exactly a rock-solid foundation. Sure, they'd gone on dates since then, and Gaara had felt himself falling for Kiba, but he wasn't sure if it was love. Did Kiba feel love for him? Did he truly feel love for Kiba?

Damn, no wonder Sasuke was so moody for months about Naruto. Gaara was seriously going crazy just thinking about Kiba not loving him. He couldn't imagine what would happen if he had to watch Kiba date someone else. And being his roommate while he had to watch Kiba date someone else would be pure hell. Maybe Sasuke drinking wasn't that much of an overreaction.

Gaara was broken from his thoughts when he felt his cell phone buzz in his hand for what must have been the 14th call of the day from the brunet. He looked at the name that came up on the screen and sighed. He'd have to face the music eventually. If Kiba was going to break up with him, then delaying it wouldn't help anyone. And if by some miracle, Kiba was going to assuage Gaara's fears, then the redhead didn't want to wait one more second.

He pressed the green 'send' button and placed the phone to his ear, afraid to talk. He was even afraid to breathe! He was so scared that his hands were shaking. He hated the effect Kiba was having on him.

"_Hello?"_ Kiba asked from the other side of the line. _"Gaara? Are you there?"_ He sounded almost frantic, and Gaara felt guilty. He probably put the other teen through a lot by ignoring him.

"Y-Yeah," Gaara said, gathering up all his courage. "I'm here."

"_Thank god you answered!" _Kiba exclaimed_. "I'm so, so, so sorry for what happened yesterday. I mean, I guess I thought I was angry that Naruto was with Sasuke, and so I just got all pissed off and I was so unfair to you, because I love you and I don't really want to lose you, but I didn't really think about your feelings, and I probably put you through so much, and I just want you to forgive me because I'm really, really, really sorry, and it'll never happen again, I promise, and my feelings for Naruto are gone, and I just want to –"_

"You're rambling," Gaara said monotonously. He could practically hear the sheepishness and see the blush through the phone.

"_Oh," _Kiba said_. "I guess…I am, aren't I?"_

"I'm sorry too," Gaara said. "I shouldn't have ignored you like that. If we're going to be in a relationship, we're going to have to be able to talk to each other if something's wrong. I should have answered you at the seventeenth phone call."

"_You should have answered a lot sooner than that!" _Kiba exclaimed from the other side of the phone._ "You have no idea how worried sick I've been! I was feeling so guilty and scared, and –"_

"You're doing it again," Gaara said, causing Kiba to sigh and mumble an apology. They were both silent for a few seconds and Gaara's eyes widened in realization.

'_Did…did he just say he _loves_ me?'_ Gaara wondered to himself.

"_Gaara?" _Kiba asked. _"You still there?"_ Gaara sighed, relieved that he was still in a relationship after everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. And when he thought of Kiba's accidental confession, he felt a bubbling in his stomach, and he had to fight to not grin like an idiot.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm still here. Why don't we meet up later at the food court?"

"_I have a better idea," _Kiba said from the other side_. "I'm going to take you out on a date tonight. Be ready at 7:30 for dinner."_

"Do I have to wear a tux?" Gaara teased. Kiba growled and Gaara smirked. "I'll see you later."

"_See ya."_

Gaara sighed as he closed his phone, relieved that things were going to be alright between him and Kiba. He also briefly thought about what the brunet had said when he was nervously rambling and he smiled. Did Kiba really _love_ him? Then, he grew serious once more. Did he really _love_ Kiba?

Before he was able to contemplate anymore, he heard a car park right outside the woods, and he stood up to greet Kakashi. The masked man was visibly relieved to have found Sasuke. Gaara brought him to where Sasuke was sitting before deciding to give them some privacy. Besides, he had a date to get ready for.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, reaching over so he could nudge the raven and wake him up.

"I'm awake," Sasuke said, his eyes still closed. "I was awake the entire time Gaara was here; I just don't want to talk."

"Sasuke, I can't imagine how tough this is for you," Kakashi said, trying to get right down to business. It did neither of them any good to tiptoe around the issue. "In the last few years, you've lost both your parents, and now your uncle."

"That's not it!" Sasuke exclaimed, his eyes shooting open. "I can't live with myself! I'm feeling so…guilty."

"You don't have anything to feel guilty about," Kakashi said, trying to comfort the younger male.

"Like hell I don't!" Sasuke exclaimed, standing up. "I went to see him the other day, and I practically told him to drop dead!" Kakashi's eyes widened, and Sasuke wasn't able to look at him anymore, choosing instead to redirect his eyes towards the creek.

Why was this so hard? When he'd said that, he hadn't actually _wanted_ Madara to kill himself. Thinking about it, he didn't really _know_ what he wanted. In truth, he wanted Madara to say something that was would give him a good excuse to hate his uncle, or even something that helped him understand why his parents had to die. But he hadn't wanted this. This immense feeling of guilt was eating at him slowly but surely.

"You're not to blame for this," Kakashi said quietly, standing up himself so he could talk to Sasuke easier. "If anyone's at fault here, then it's me."

"You had nothing to do –" Sasuke began, but Kakashi interrupted him.

"Madara called me to see him the other day," Kakashi said quietly. "He wanted me to be the witness when he signed his new will." Sasuke had an utter look of shock, while Kakashi's face sported a look of shame. "I didn't really think about what it meant, but I realize it now. He was planning on killing himself, and if I was more attentive, I could have stopped him."

The woods were silent for a few moments, Sasuke digesting the new information and Kakashi waiting for Sasuke to respond to the revelation. Sasuke wasn't exactly sure how he was feeling or how he should feel. Maybe he should feel relief – he wasn't the only one who blamed himself. Should he feel anger that Kakashi didn't realize what was happening?

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Kakashi said. "I let you down."

"The will," Sasuke said, changing the subject. "What did it say?"

"Well, the executor actually called me earlier, and asked me to come by later today with you and Itachi, if you wouldn't mind," Kakashi said.

Sasuke was silent again, contemplating. He was on such a rollercoaster of emotions that he didn't know how to feel. Did he feel guilty anymore? Angry? Sad? Relieved? He was so confused, and that was even worse. He didn't even really feel that upset that Madara was dead. He'd only felt upset because he knew that _he_ was responsible, at least in part, for Madara's death. But he didn't actually mourn Madara, and that made Sasuke worry about his humanity.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, breaking the raven from his thoughts. "Do you want to go now, or should I call the executor of Madara's will back and tell him that we'll have to arrange another time?"

"No, we can do it now," Sasuke said, surprising himself. A part of him wanted to put it off as long as possible – if he went to the reading of the will, it'd all be real. Another part of him wanted to get it out of the way so that he could focus on something else. Even such a small decision as going to the reading of the will was such a confusing decision for Sasuke. He felt like he was being torn in half by conflicting emotions and feelings, and he hated it! "But can we…can we stop at my dorm first? I want Naruto to come with me."

If Kakashi was surprised at this request, he didn't know it. Even though Kakashi didn't know of Sasuke and Naruto's relationship, he knew that Sasuke needed support right now. If Naruto could provide some support for Sasuke, who has obviously been so torn about this entire situation, then how could he refuse?

"Of course," Kakashi said. "Let's go get him."

* * *

Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi and Itachi were sitting outside in the waiting room of the lawyer's office waiting. It wasn't like they were waiting a long time, but they were all pretty anxious to get this over with. Kakashi and Itachi were worried about how Sasuke was doing while handling their own personal feelings about Madara's death, which was a lot to do. Naruto held Sasuke's hands – making sure to keep their clasped hands out of sight of the other two, of course – and was rubbing his thumb up and down Sasuke's palm, attempting to soothe the Uchiha.

Sasuke, however, felt like exploding. He wasn't a human being anymore; he was just a bundle of nerves and unidentifiable emotions. He was so tired of feeling like was slowly losing his sanity. Heck, there was nothing slow about this. He was about ten seconds away from having to admit himself into Konoha Mental Hospital.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Sasuke. He'd had his appointment with Dr. Kishimoto scheduled for tomorrow. He would definitely go, as he needed some sort of psychological guidance. He wasn't exactly fond of these new feelings of confusion and being utterly lost.

Suddenly, the door opened and a middle aged man stepped out. He was pretty tall – taller than Kakashi and Itachi both – and had silvery white hair styled in a comb over. He was wearing a tan, two-piece suit with a white shirt and a red tie underneath it, and he had thick glasses. He welcomed the four into his office, following them in and shutting the door behind him. He moved over to the desk and opened the file that had Madara's will in it.

"I'm so sorry for your loss," the lawyer, Mr. Akihiko according to the nameplate on his desk, said.

"Thank you," Kakashi said, bowing his head slightly in respect. "This is a hard time for the family."

"Perfectly understandable," Mr. Akihiko said, nodding his head slightly in agreement. Sasuke felt almost sick to his stomach. How could they engage in superficial small talk when they were about to hear the final act Madara had performed in his life? "Mr. Hatake, I realize you do know what is in the will, but nonetheless, I will tell everyone else so that we are all on the same page."

Kakashi, Itachi and Sasuke all nodded, and the lawyer began to read the will. "First thing's first, Uchiha Shisui, who is absent from this meeting and currently living in Japan, has received Madara's family necklace. I will contact him and let him know." Sasuke rose and eyebrow, not having known that they still had another relative. "Secondly, Sasuke and Itachi, you two receive Madara's bar, Mangekyo, and his apartment." Itachi and Sasuke sported similar looks of shock and disbelief on their faces, knowing that they just received over a million dollars of property value from an uncle who they didn't have a really strong relationship with.

"Thirdly, all his antique possessions are to be sold off in an auction, and the money gained is to be split between the two of you and Uchiha Shisui to pay for your college education," Mr. Akihiko told Sasuke and Itachi. "The values of his antiques are estimated at about $12.5 million, which will give each of you around $4.2 million for your college educations." Another look of shock was sent between the two Uchiha, realizing that, even though they were rich, they wouldn't have to spend a pretty penny of their personal fortune on anything for a while with over $4 million each. "You two will also be splitting the cash assets he had between yourself, which is another $90 million." Sasuke looked over to Naruto, who was flat out gaping at the lawyer, not believing that that much money existed. Sasuke almost smirked at his unbelievable expression.

Their fortune had just nearly doubled! Talk about the rich getting richer…

"Sasuke," Mr. Akihiko said, grabbing the Uchiha's attention. "Madara left you the key to his safety deposit box." He pulled out a box from his drawer and opened it, handing the Uchiha a key. Sasuke dumbly took it, not really understanding what it meant. Why did Madara leave him the key to his safety deposit box?

"And Mr. Hatake, you remember what he left you, right?" Kakashi nodded, and Sasuke, Itachi and Naruto looked at him. "The portrait of Rin that he had on the wall of his apartment," Mr. Akihiko clarified for the others. "That was all he had mentioned in his will. Are there any questions?"

"Where's this safety deposit box that the key belongs to?" Sasuke asked, not sure yet if he wanted to find out what was in the box.

"The First Bank of Konoha has the box," Mr. Akihiko stated. "They will, of course, be made aware that ownership of the box has transferred to you, and you will be able to retrieve its contents in a few days." Sasuke nodded in understanding as Kakashi asked a question. But Sasuke didn't pay attention; he had too much more to think about.

What was in the safety deposit box? Obviously it was something Madara wanted to him without Kakashi and Itachi knowing about it, or he would have just left its contents for him explicitly in the will. But what could Madara want to give him? He was never close to Sasuke. Sasuke silently wondered as the conversations continued going on around him.

Again, a wave of guilt washed over Sasuke. He hadn't thought about his responsibility in Madara's suicide since they had entered the office. But that small break couldn't last long, and soon, Sasuke was being consumed by his emotions again. Without saying anything to anyone in the room, he stood up and left the office. Once he was in the hallway of the building, he started running, hoping to escape to anywhere. As he rounded the corner to go down the stairs, however, a hand pulled him back and pushed him against the wall.

"Stop running," Naruto commanded as he pinned the larger male against the wall. "I'm your boyfriend, Sasuke. Please, tell me what I can do to help you."

"You can't do anything," Sasuke said. "This all has nothing to do with you."

"I refuse to believe I can't help," Naruto said boldly. "I know you love me, and I know you need me right now. I'm not going to let you push me away when what you really need is a shoulder to lean on."

"How do you know what I need?" Sasuke snapped, pushing the blond off him. "You have no idea what this is like for me!"

"Don't I?" Naruto asked. "I _shot_ you, Sasuke! I didn't know if you'd survive! You might think you were responsible for Madara killing himself, but in the end, it wasn't just you. It was years of loss, loneliness and solitude, and you might have just been the straw that broke the camel's back. But I _shot_ you. If you'd died, it would be _all_ my fault."

"But I'm not dead," Sasuke said defiantly. "Madara _is_ dead."

"For hours, you were in surgery," Naruto said. "Each second felt like a day, and I was losing my mind, not knowing when and if you'd get better. Even if the circumstances are different, you can't tell me that I have no idea what it's like for you. All I wanted was the people who loved me to hold me and tell me it would be okay."

Sasuke, feeling tears about to fall from his face, looked away from the blond, not wanting to admit what he was truly feeling. As much as he wanted to cut himself off from everyone and bask in his loneliness, he knew that he truly wanted exactly what Naruto had just said. He wanted security, comfort. Silently, tears started to fall, and Naruto closed the gap between them, embracing the Uchiha.

Sasuke backed up so he was against the wall again, and Naruto held on. Then, Sasuke slid down against the wall until he was sitting, still being held by Naruto as he finally started to let himself sob.

"Shh," Naruto said, trying to rub Sasuke's arm in a soothing motion. "It'll be okay."

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	25. Love is in the Air

**Disclaimer: I own Naruto. He's actually strapped to a metal chair in my bedroom right now. Yeah, I **_**own**_** him. Sasuke's incredibly jealous of me right now. And I **_**know**_** Masashi Kishimoto is jealous…he should have copyrighted Naruto before I stole him. *lawyer whispers in my ear* Oh.**

**This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Twenty-Five: Love is in the Air

Gaara was incredibly nervous as he waited for Kiba to show up to take him out. Truth be told, he'd been nervous ever since he got home. If everything went as he hoped, this would be a huge step in their relationship.

Ever since the l-word slipped out of Kiba's mouth (which Gaara still wasn't sure if it was planned or if it slipped out), Gaara had been debating it in his mind. Did he love Kiba? They'd only really known each other for a few months, and they'd only been going out for about three weeks or so. Was it really possible for him to develop such deep feelings so soon? Wasn't that a bad sign?

But really, it didn't take much thought to come up with an answer. Any time they'd gone on a date, Gaara had been nervous. When they were at the party and they (soberly) consummated their relationship, Gaara had been a nervous _wreck_. They had seemed to be moving pretty fast, but he assumed that was to be expected when their first romantic encounter was steamy sex in the back of Kiba's car.

But still, he couldn't help but second guess himself. He bit his lip. He was always so analytical about things. Heck, his hobby was to look at total strangers and analyze details of their lives that half of _them_ weren't even aware of themselves! The only thing he'd learned from that was that there were too many adulterers in Konoha. Whenever he got into such an intimate relationship with somebody, he'd never cheat on them.

He briefly pictured his romantic future, and was pleasantly surprised to see that Kiba showed up when he thought of himself at 40 or 50. To think that he was already subconsciously planning so far ahead with someone he'd only been going out with for less than a month. It was ridiculous, especially when you consider they're only 18!

Gaara was broken from his thoughts when there was a knock on the door, which caused him to jump in surprise. Regaining his composure, he opened the door, and his jaw dropped at the sight in front of him.

Kiba was dressed in a tight, black muscle shirt with dark blue skinny jeans with rips at the knees. The jeans were lying low enough on Kiba's hips that he was able to see the black boxer briefs sticking out slightly. He knew he was ogling his boyfriend, but he didn't care.

"You like?" Kiba asked with a cocky grin on his face. Gaara didn't really hear what Kiba had said. Instead, he'd continued to stare at the other male, further inflating his ego exponentially by each second.

Gaara wasn't brought back to reality until he heard someone wolf-whistling behind him. Almost immediately, Suigetsu appeared next to Gaara, and it seemed the third male was just as intrigued by Kiba's appearance.

"You're going all out for this date, huh?" Suigetsu asked, smirking himself as Kiba began to blush slightly. A look out of the corner of his eye showed him that Gaara wasn't enjoying Suigetsu's flirting nearly as much as Suigetsu enjoyed it. "If you ever decide Gaara's not enough of a man to keep you interested, you know where to find me," he said with a wink, earning him a smack from Gaara. "Ow, I'm only kidding!" he defended. "Jeez, Kiba, I hope you put out for him tonight. I don't want him to come back all crabby and whiny."

"Ignore him," Gaara said as he left the room, pulling the door closed behind him. "He's the biggest flirt I've ever met."

"He's a pretty big slut too, from what I hear," Kiba said loudly enough for Suigetsu to hear through the door.

"Hey! I heard that!" Suigetsu yelled from inside the room. Gaara smirked and shook his head in mock exasperation before walking with Kiba down the hallway and down the stairs. Their conversation consisted mostly of small talk, as Gaara hoped to wait to talk about the phone call until they were actually at the restaurant they were going to. But the shallowness of the conversation quickly got to Gaara, and he decided to break the ice while they were in the car.

"I was really happy when you called me," Gaara said, surprising Kiba. "The eighteenth time," he clarified. Kiba smirked as they turned the corner in the car. "I was so sure that you were calling me to tell me that your feelings for Naruto were too strong for you to be with me anymore."

Kiba stopped short, and they both leaned forward before their seatbelts snapped them back. Gaara was about to yell at Kiba for the reckless driving when he saw that the Inuzuka was looking right at him.

"Don't ever think that," Kiba said, not once breaking eye contact. "I care about you too much to leave you for anyone." Gaara smiled at the touching remark and looked around to make sure no other cars got too upset at his boyfriend for stopping in the middle of the street. That was when he realized that they weren't going into the city, where the restaurants were, they were in a suburban neighborhood.

"Kiba, where are you taking me?" Gaara asked.

"It's a surprise," Kiba said with a smile as the car started to accelerate some more. It only took a few minutes to get to their destination, which was a pretty big house. The lights were out, and there were no cars in the driveway.

"Where are we?" Gaara asked as Kiba opened his car door for him. As he stepped out, Kiba made a large sweeping motion with his arm and smiled broadly.

"Welcome to Chez Inuzuka," Kiba said with a smile on his face. "My mom and sister are out seeing the new Twilight movie, so I decided to have our date here." Kiba led Gaara, instead of to the front door, to the gate that led to their back yard. Gaara shrugged and followed him into the back yard, and was surprised at what he saw.

On the open lawn, there was a table for two set up. It had what was obviously a nice tablecloth, with a single candle in the middle. There were two covered trays in front of each of the chairs. Gaara couldn't help but smile at the romantic gesture. And it was a perfect day to eat outside. It had ceased to be warm like the summer, but had yet to become frigid.

There were two trees in the back yard that both had very beautiful leaves. The colors had started to change, and the colors were picturesque. It had the perfect mixture of orange, yellow, red and green leaves that it looked as if it was taken straight from a painting. Next to one of the trees was a small doghouse that had the name _Akamaru_ written on the top in very sloppy handwriting, and Gaara saw a small head poke out of it.

Upon seeing the two, the dog raced out to greet Kiba. He was a pretty small dog – probably a shih-Tzu or a corgi. It had a beautiful, white fur coat, and its tail wagged speedily as he greeted Kiba. The Inuzuka laughed as he knelt down to pet the dog and the dog, in turn, began licking his face.

"Gaara, this is Akamaru," Kiba said, lifting the dog so that Gaara could hold him. "Akamaru, this is Gaara," he said to the dog. Gaara took the dog from Kiba's waiting hands and was surprised by how soft his coat was. As he pet the dog, his tail continued to wag, and at one point, he reached his face up and licked Gaara's cheek. "He likes you," he told Gaara.

"Like master, like pup," Gaara said with a shrug as he placed the dog down. Kiba smirked, and he led Gaara to the table. When they got there, Kiba pulled out a chair, and motioned with his hand for Gaara to sit. "What a gentleman," Gaara said with mock surprise as Kiba pushed him in. Kiba then walked around to the other side, sitting down in his own seat.

Gaara was surprised at the layout on the table. It was as if they were at a fancy restaurant. There were three forks with increasing size on the left, and two spoons, a butter knife, and a fork knife on the right. There was a smaller spoon horizontally above the plate, and two glasses – one for wine, one for water. He saw a water pitcher on the table next to the candle, and on the other side of the candle was a flower in a vase. There was also a cloth napkin, which Gaara unfolded and placed on his lap. He wondered what exactly the Inuzuka had cooked for him that he would need so much silverware.

"Are you ready to see tonight's entre?" Kiba asked with a smile. He and Gaara both pulled off the covers at the same time, and Gaara was shocked by what he saw.

"Kiba?" Gaara asked, not believing if this was real or if Ashton Kutcher was waiting in the bushes with a camera crew.

"Yes?" Kiba asked as he took a fork and began to eat.

"Why did you lay out so much silverware for a plate of Mac N Cheese?" Gaara asked as the brunet wolfed down a forkful.

"I wanted it to look fancy," he said defensively. "What, you don't like it?"

"Of course I like it," Gaara said. "It just looked like it was going to be steak, or lobster or something."

"Well, I can't really cook that well," Kiba admitted. "It was either this or a Grilled Cheese. And I actually tend to burn those, so this was the only good option." Gaara smiled at the Inuzuka, realizing that it didn't _have_ to be lobster or steak. No expensive date could compare to what Kiba had pulled off tonight. He was right – the abundance of silverware and other fancy decorations made the night seem special, even if they were only eating Mac N Cheese.

Gaara began to eat, and he noticed something that made him smile even more. This wasn't even home cooked Mac N Cheese! It was Easy Mac! But it was oddly sweet, knowing that Kiba spent much more time and energy focusing on the ambiance than the food itself. The gesture was definitely appreciated.

"Hey, Kiba?" Gaara asked, trying to get the brunet's attention. "I think we have to talk."

"That's never good," Kiba muttered under his breath. "What about?" he asked, a little louder.

"It's about what you said earlier," Gaara said, ready to gauge Kiba's reaction. One of the most important things was to know whether Kiba had actually known what he said, or if it was said in the heat of the moment and had easily forgotten it. Kiba looked down at the candle on the table with a slight red tinting on his cheeks, and Gaara presumed he had his answer.

"So you heard that?" Kiba asked, sounding almost sad.

"I understand if it's not true," Gaara said, preparing himself for the worst. "I mean, you were rambling, and you could have gotten caught up in the heat of the moment."

"It's not that," Kiba said, the blush spreading over his features. "I just…wanted to tell you in a more special way. That's why I did this whole thing." Gaara's eyebrows rose in pleasant surprise upon hearing the confession, but he still wasn't expecting the next words that came out of the brunet's mouth. "I love you, Gaara."

Gaara's smile widened so that it was threatening to rip his face in half, which he realized was pretty uncharacteristic of him. He didn't smile often, but it seemed he was smiling more and more since Kiba had come into the picture. He lowered his head so he was staring at his lap, enjoying the feeling he had upon hearing those three words. His stomach bubbled, and he felt so giddy, which was something else uncharacteristic of him. He was feeling so giddy, in fact, that he didn't even realize that Kiba was probably on the edge of his seat, waiting with baited breath to see the redhead's response. Gaara looked up and his eyes locked with Kiba's.

"I love you, too, Kiba," he said, taking a mental picture of the way Kiba's smile slowly expanded until it matched the one that was on Gaara's face. Kiba put the index finger and thumb of his right hand to his tongue and wet them up before using them to distinguish the flame on the candle.

"Why don't we go inside?" he asked, the smile not fading. He stood up and held his hand out for Gaara to grab, and they walked into the house holding hands. After turning the lights on in the house, Kiba led the redhead to the living room, where they walked towards the couch.

Gaara lowered his face to meet Kiba's lips, and the redhead felt a surge of heat as they touched. Wasting no time, Gaara opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, and Kiba obliged. He brushed his tongue against the roof of Gaara's mouth, savoring the sweet taste of Mac N Cheese that still lingered. Gaara moved his hands up Kiba's shirt and lightly touched the Inuzuka's chest before pulling the entire shirt over his head. Their lips reconnected, and they kissed feverishly, while still maintaining the same passion fueled lust from before.

Kiba left Gaara's lips and moved his own down towards the younger's collarbone, licking the hallow of his neck while he unbuttoned the buttons on Gaara's shirt. The redhead threw his head back as Kiba sucked on his pulse, and their hips bucked together, hardness meeting hardness. Finally, when Kiba managed to undo all the buttons, he discarded the redhead's shirt before standing up, holding Gaara in place. He turned around and laid Gaara down on the sofa before straddling the lying boy's hips.

With increased fervor, Kiba started to lick down Gaara's torso, relishing the flavor of the other teen. He stopped at Gaara's right nipple and breathed over it, enticing a strangled moan from the excited redhead. He lowered his mouth and began to suck, increasing the pleasure for his lover. He lifted his face and moved to the other nipple, ghosting his breath over it like he did the other. As he lowered his head to suck, he unbuttoned Gaara's pants, lowering them in a single motion and gripping the cock in his hand.

The redhead was a quivering mess as Kiba simultaneously stroked his cock and sucked his nipples. Kiba felt a painful tightness in his pants, but he was too busy taking care of Gaara. There would be time for him to get off later. Gaara, needing to participate in some way, brushed his fingers through Kiba's hair as he came up for air. He licked a circle around the nipple, causing Gaara to lightly pull at the hair, losing himself in pleasure.

After a while, Kiba felt Gaara getting close to orgasm, and he lifted himself off the redhead's chest. Gaara groaned at the lack of contact, but the groan soon turned to moan as Kiba instead attached his lips to the head of Gaara's cock. He barely had time to adjust before Gaara started shooting stream after stream of cum down Kiba's throat. Not wanting to disappoint his lover, Kiba swallowed every last drop, licking his lips when he was done.

After it was done, Gaara sat up and leant over, unbuttoning Kiba's pants and pulling them down in a single motion along with the brunet's underwear. Kiba sat back as Gaara moved between his knees, lightly kissing the Inuzuka's inner thighs. Kiba, already excited from getting Gaara off, moaned when Gaara licked a trail up his right thigh and up the shaft of his throbbing erection.

The redhead circled his tongue around the head of Kiba's manhood before engulfing nearly all of it. He gagged at first and pulled back, but he dove back in again, trying to adjust. Kiba was paralyzed in pleasure as Gaara finally got a steady rhythm going. The redhead was slowly working his way further, taking more and more of his boyfriend's cock with each bob.

Finally, Gaara pulled completely off the cock, eliciting a whine from the Inuzuka. But before Kiba could verbally protest, Gaara impaled his face back on the cock, taking Kiba all the way. The pleasure was too much for Kiba, who shot his load down Gaara's throat. After milking the softening appendage for all it was worth, Gaara stood up and sat down on the sofa, leaning his head on Kiba's shoulder.

"Not that I want to ruin the moment or anything," Kiba began, "but Hana and Mom are gonna be back any minute now, and it'll be pretty awkward for us if they walk in on this." Gaara groaned, and the two reluctantly picked up their clothes and went up to Kiba's room. They both got into the single bed and cuddled up, already tired despite the fact that it was only 9:30.

* * *

Nara Shikamaru hated one thing above all others, and that was when he was disturbed while napping. He took pride in his excessive sleeping, and he didn't appreciate it when all his hard work was wasted when he was woken up. That's why when he heard a rapid rapping on his door that evening, he groaned as he slowly faded to consciousness.

"Come in!" he called, too lazy to get up and let whoever it was in. He heard the door open, and whoever had opened it turned on the light. For a second, he expected to see his roommate, but then he realized that his roommate wouldn't have knocked. He looked up towards the door to see Ino, surprise clearly written on his face.

"Did you forget to yell at me about something else?" Shikamaru asked, boredom evident in his voice. Ino glared slightly at the provocation and had to remind herself to calm down. She sighed deeply before speaking up.

"I actually came here to apologize," she said, her voice dripping with forced serenity. "You were right. Kiba and Naruto worked everything out, and I didn't have to involve myself."

"Of course I was right," Shikamaru said, angering Ino.

"You know, you think you're such a genius!" she chided angrily.

"Actually, I am," Shikamaru said. "I have an IQ of 206. I just choose to be lazy."

"Well, you're doing a great job of _that_," Ino said, trying to hide the surprise she experienced regarding the lazy teen's intelligence. "But you aren't nearly as smart as you think you are."

"Really?" Shikamaru asked. "Why's that?"

"Because you're socially retarded," she said bluntly, causing the lazy brunet to raise an eyebrow. "I mean, seriously! You might be smart, but you can be so _dumb_ sometimes! You have no semblance of social skills!"

Shikamaru closed his eyes, choosing not to participate in the conversation. It's not that he thought that what Ino said was untrue, because he knew it was very true. He'd never been able to really _connect_ with people like people expected him to. He was always too apathetic, always expecting that things will come to him without any effort put in just because of his genius.

He'd realized in high school that a social life wasn't just going to happen to him. He'd have to actually pursue it. But by then, it was too late. He didn't really care to put in the extra effort, and he didn't feel comfortable putting himself in a situation where he wasn't the genius. He would be putting himself in a position that he wasn't familiar with, and that had never happened before.

At the same time, he was somewhat of a narcissist. He knew he was what experts would call "an immeasurable genius", and he developed a large ego. By the time he'd decided that it was important to really make friends, he was too wrapped up in his own being to really think of anyone else as worthy of being his friend.

Then, he met Temari and everything changed.

Temari was somewhat of a loner as well. She was pretty attractive, which was odd considering she only had one true friend. Shikamaru had seen her around, even though she was a grade older than him. She and her friend, Miko, would always be walking together, laughing it up. They were inseparable.

And then Miko moved to Suna, and Temari was suddenly alone. Shikamaru would see her sitting at a table by herself, and realized that that could be his only chance to really become someone's friend. After all, the most uncomfortable part about looking to make friends was the possibility of rejection. But, as the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers. He couldn't imagine someone like Temari would push him away.

He started sitting at her table for lunch, and they got to talking. They didn't really have much in common, since Shikamaru really didn't do much except watch TV or sleep. She decided that she would help Shikamaru get a life, and she started dragging him out to the mall. They'd go shopping, see a movie, and do normal things. To tell the truth, Shikamaru kind of enjoyed feeling normal.

When Shikamaru became a junior and Temari became a senior, they had decided to be more than friends. Shikamaru was slowly being pulled out of his shell, and, even though to the average bystander he seemed like the same lazy guy, he became more normal. He could joke around, and he could easily begin to relate to others. Something had changed in him when he started hanging out with Temari. Soon, he even started hanging out with her twin brother, Kankuro, and they became friends as well.

Shikamaru became just a slightly lazy guy. He wasn't narcissistic, or weird, or alone anymore. Then, when Temari and Kankuro graduated, Kankuro moved to attend Suna University, while Temari decided to stay in Konoha and attend Konoha University.

Shikamaru had befriended a new kid named Shino, not appreciating the fact that he was left alone. Shino was very quiet and reserved, however, and their friendship took a while to really grow. But eventually, they became good enough friends. His relationship with Temari, meanwhile, was just going downhill. At first, she had no time for him because she was too busy studying and doing schoolwork. But then, towards the end of December and through January, she decided to take advantage of the month long holiday to get closer to Shikamaru.

She got very needy, however, and she was suffocating Shikamaru. He didn't have the time to laze about for an hour or so a day anymore, as she _always_ had to be with him. They'd gone on so many dates in that month, it was ridiculous. Almost every night, and Shikamaru was getting tired of it. Then came the insatiable libido caused from not being intimate with him since before school started.

Shikamaru couldn't handle it anymore. That was what had caused him to meet Ino, actually. He had tried to hide from Temari in her car, and Temari found them. She had such a jealous rage, but later that day, she apologized and acted sweet. Ever since then, she got overprotective of Shikamaru, however, and it didn't take much to get her to show her jealousy.

That was why Shikamaru ended things with Temari. And after he had washed his hands clean of her, he graduated. Shino went his way to Iwa to study entomology, and Shikamaru was suddenly alone again. But he had met Ino, and they'd run into each other often enough to make Shikamaru think of her as a possible friend. He'd also met a couple people in his classes who he was friendly enough with.

But still, even though he'd come a long way since he was the antisocial, narcissistic, apathetic kid, that same person would show himself every now and then. He did sometimes act like he was better than others, and he was sometimes a know it all. He was pretty sure that was what really caused Ino to flip out on him yesterday. And without the daily social interaction, Shikamaru felt that he was regressing more and more into that person he used to be, and he didn't like that.

"Fine," Shikamaru said. "You think I lack social skills, then teach me." He made it sound almost like a challenge, and Ino quirked an eyebrow. "I'm tutoring you in history still, so you can tutor me in being social."

"Are you serious?" Ino asked. "I don't think you can just be _taught_ social skills except by practice."

"Then let's hang out more often," Shikamaru said with a lazy shrug. "If you really hate it that much, I'm sure I'll be cured of my 'social retardation' in no time," he said, using air quotes for the two words.

"Fine," Ino said, sounding as if she accepted Shikamaru's challenge. "I guess we'll hang out tomorrow."

"Good," Shikamaru said. "Just not before noon. I'm a late sleeper." Ino agreed and she awkwardly left the room, leaving Shikamaru with one thought.

'_Wait, did I just ask her to be my friend?'_

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke finally got home at about 9:30 in the evening. After they had finished up at Mr. Akihiko's office, they had gone to Ichiraku for some dinner before returning to their dorm room. They were silent for most of the meal and car rides, but not uncomfortably so. In fact, it was a very pleasant silence.

Naruto was quite pleased with the events that happened today. Well, not the whole 'Sasuke-is-missing' part and not the whole 'Sasuke-falling-apart-during-the-reading-of-Madara's-will' part, but the part afterwards when he was able to comfort the raven. He had been so used to the one needing all the protection and the support. That was in part why he didn't really want to talk to Sasuke about the nightmares he'd been having. He didn't really want to need protection anymore.

But this was new territory. Never before had Sasuke shown true vulnerability to the blond. Well, he had in a sense when he'd admitted to his feelings, but he'd never really let himself fall apart in Naruto's arms. As much as he didn't want Sasuke to hurt, he was glad that he was able to make Sasuke feel better for a change.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked when they finally reached their room. Sasuke nodded silently, lost in thought about the day. "Maybe sometime after classes this week, we'll go over to the bank and get the things from the safety deposit box, okay?"

"No," Sasuke said, shocking the blond. "I don't want to know what's in there."

"But he wanted you to see it," Naruto said. "There has to be a reason, right?"

"I don't want to talk about this," Sasuke said as he sat down on Naruto's bed next to his boyfriend. "I've thought way too much about Madara today." Naruto nodded in understanding. "There _is_ one thing that I do want to think about," he said.

Before Naruto could question him, Sasuke firmly pressed his lips to the blonde's, letting all his pent up emotion out. Naruto moaned into the kiss, opening his mouth for Sasuke to invade with his tongue. They rearranged themselves so that Sasuke was lying on top of Naruto as they kissed, and Naruto felt a hardness pressing against his own. It didn't register, however, until he felt Sasuke try to lift his shirt off.

"Wait, Sasuke," Naruto said as the Uchiha discarded the shirt and began to lick behind his ear. "We have to…nngh…talk," he said, a moan escaping his lips midsentence.

"You talk," Sasuke said as he planted small kisses on Naruto's jaw line. "I'll kiss." He planted his lips to Naruto's throat, and the blond unconsciously thrust up into the raven's pelvis.

"Sasuke, please stop," Naruto asked, shocking the raven. He sat up and looked into his boyfriend's eyes, seeing the serious expression on his face. He frowned.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked, not liking the tone that Naruto was using. He got off of Naruto, choosing instead to sit further back on the bed and look him in the eye.

"I've been having dreams the last couple of nights," Naruto said, causing Sasuke's mood to change dramatically. Sasuke had been aware that his boyfriend had been having nightmares. How could he not when he was the one comforting him every morning? But he saw that Naruto had not wanted to talk about it, so he decided to wait until the blond was comfortable enough to open up. And now that it seemed that moment was upon him, he wanted to be serious.

"What are they about?" Sasuke asked, not wanting to push the blond too far.

"Th-They start off in some sort of sewer," Naruto explained, the memory of the dreams causing him to shake. "There's this big jail cell, and there's an orange fox with nine tails trapped inside it. And he always tells me that as long as…as long as I'm a f-faggot, then I need to get what I deserve." Sasuke, beginning to understand exactly what came next in the dream, repositioned himself so that he was holding his boyfriend. "Then, he turns into Kyuubi, and…" he trailed off, knowing that Sasuke got the picture. He refused to cry this time. He needed to stay strong so that he could tell Sasuke about the rest of what was going on.

"I spoke to Dr. Kishimoto about it," Naruto said. "He told me that it's been happening because of my relationship with you, and that there's still a part of me resisting being intimate with you, even if it's only subconscious." Sasuke nodded, beginning to understand what Naruto was getting to. "He told me that we should have a talk and outline exactly what I'm comfortable with, and agree not to go further until I'm ready. I mean, if that's okay with you, of course," he added as an afterthought.

"Of course," Sasuke said instantly. "I wouldn't _want_ to go further with you if you'll just associate it with what that monster did to you. We don't have to go any further until you're ready." Naruto nodded, his eyes closed, obviously trying not to cry. Then, suddenly, he opened his eyes, a determined expression on his face.

"I want to tell you what happened that night," Naruto finally said. Sasuke couldn't hide the shock on his face at first, but he then squelched the emotion and shook his head.

"You don't have to," he said. "I walked in on it. I saw it."

"But you only saw the end," Naruto said. "He did more than just rape me." Sasuke went silent, realizing that Naruto not only wanted, but _needed_ to get this out. After a few seconds, he nodded, indicating that it was okay for Naruto to go on. "I wasn't even supposed to be home that day. You remember, right?"

Sasuke nodded, his expression somber. "I was being cruel to you. I kissed you, and then accused you of liking it. I drove you away." Naruto nodded in response.

"It's not like I blame you for it or anything," Naruto said. "It's not like you could have known what was going to happen." Sasuke reached up and cupped Naruto's face, moving the blonde's head slightly so that he was looking in his eyes.

"I'm still so, _so_ sorry," Sasuke said. "If I could take it back, I would do it in an instant." Naruto nodded, acknowledging what Sasuke said.

"I know," he said. "When I got home, I was surprised to see Kyuubi there. I hadn't seen him in years. I did expect him to come back one day, but it was so out of the blue for me. It had been so long that I almost convinced myself he'd died, or he'd found a new family far, far away. Ino and I would talk about him, and we'd talk as if he was dead, because to us, he _was_ dead."

"That's why when I first heard about you two living together, she told me your father had died," Sasuke surmised.

"It was partly that and partly that it wasn't really any of your business," Naruto said with a small smile. "I don't like to advertise that my father was abusive and that I was adoptive, so we'd just tell people that my father died and her father was a family friend, so he took me in." Sasuke nodded in understanding. "Anyway, when I first saw him, I was so scared, but I was also hopeful. A part of me had hoped for a second that he was there to mend fences.

"But he seemed so weird," Naruto continued. "He was sitting on the couch as if he did it every day, and he had a coldness to his voice. I told him to leave, but he refused. I tried to stand my ground, even though I heard the anger and violence in his voice. I threatened to call the police, but he just called me ungrateful. He said he'd been watching me for a while, and something happened that day to spark the visit."

Sasuke looked at Naruto with questioning eyes, and Naruto wanted to think of some way to make what he had to say not as hard on Sasuke. After a few seconds, he realized that there was no way to soften this blow, so he just continued.

"He saw you kiss me, and he decided to teach me a lesson about being a faggot," Naruto said, closing his eyes. In the darkness of his mind, he was able to see his dead father as if he was standing in front of him. "I obviously told him that I wasn't gay, but he didn't believe me. Or maybe he just wanted to make sure, I don't know."

"Naruto –" Sasuke began, but Naruto cut him off.

"That's when he locked the door," Naruto said, ignoring Sasuke. "And he pulled out a gun, and told me he was going to 'save me from those faggots'." He took a deep breath and continued. "He told me that after that day, I'd never want to take it up the ass again, and he told me there were two ways that it would go down. He could either make it so that I didn't _want_ it, or…" Naruto trailed off, and he felt Sasuke caressing his thigh, trying to comfort the blond. "Or he could make sure that they couldn't have me."

"I'm so sorry," Sasuke said, tears starting to build in his eyes. Guilt was eating at him at all corners now, not just from Madara anymore. Now, he was reminded that it was his fault that Naruto was in the position he was, even more so than he'd previously thought. Naruto placed his hand over the one Sasuke was using to comfort him and stopped the movements.

"He told me to take off my clothes, and I was confused," Naruto continued. "I guess I sort of knew what he was planning to do, but I didn't actually expect it to happen. He fired a warning shot, and it scared me enough to take my shirt and pants off. And then, he forced me to get completely naked."

Sasuke sat and watched as Naruto told the story, feeling so helpless. Here was the person he loved, who was already put through such an ordeal because of him. And now, he was putting himself through it all over again and experiencing the same pain, and Sasuke could do nothing but listen. He hated feelings so powerless.

"He said, 'Come here'," Naruto continued, his eyes beginning to be glazed over as the memory continued to play itself out in his mind. "His voice was so full of anger and menace. It scared me, and I obeyed. He told me to get on my knees, and he shoved his erection down my throat. He told me that if he felt any teeth, he'd kill me.

"It wasn't a blow job, it was just him fucking my face," Naruto said monotonously. "I could barely breathe, but he eventually gave up on that. I thought I was in the clear, but he had other plans. He flipped me over, and I pleaded with him. I promised him I'd never be gay, but he said he needed to ensure it." Naruto took a deep breath. "That was when he…he raped me," the blond concluded. "I must have passed out from the pain, because the next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital thinking I was a girl."

"I'm so sorry, Naruto," Sasuke said, the story having brought him on the verge of tears. "I never wanted that to happen to you, I swear."

"I know you didn't," Naruto said, the grim look still on his face. "But sometimes, I can still feel the ache in my jaw or a slight pain in my butt. I know it's just psychosomatic, but it still haunts me. And I go through it again every night, or at least I have for the past few nights."

"Since we first got together," Sasuke added, vocalizing the unsaid words from the end of Naruto's sentence. "I keep causing you so much pain. You were only there in the first place because I was an asshole to you, and he was only there in the first place because I kissed you. And now, our relationship is causing you to relive it over and over again."

"I know it wasn't your fault, Sasuke," Naruto said.

"No!" Sasuke said, feeling his own tears making his cheeks wet. He stood up so that he could look at Naruto, his distress clearly evident to the blond. "It _was_ my fault. If I hadn't decided to twist my arm and force you to pretend to be my boyfriend, none of this would have happened."

"I'm glad you did that, Sasuke," Naruto admitted. "If it wasn't for that, I would have continued to sit at my lunch table and you at yours. We would never have interacted, and I never would have started to fall for you. As much as what happened hurts, I can't imagine how much worse it would have been to not have you there."

"But it wouldn't have happened if I wasn't there in the first place," Sasuke insisted. "That's why I…" he trailed off, not wanting to complete his sentence.

"That's why you what?" Naruto asked.

"After the paramedics brought you to the hospital after you were raped, I followed in my car," Sasuke admitted. "But I didn't have the courage to face you. I didn't know he raped you because of me, but I knew that you were in his line of fire because of me. And I _killed_ him. As much as he was a monster, I still took his life. And I guess I just freaked out."

"That's perfectly understandable," Naruto said, but Sasuke shook his head.

"I went to the roof of the hospital," Sasuke told him. "I stood on the edge, and I was seriously contemplating jumping. I had gone through it in my head, and I was coming up blank on reasons not to. I'm sure Inoichi, Kiba, Tsunade and Jiraya wouldn't have minded. My friends all had each other, and Itachi had his friends. There was no reason for me to stay."

"Then why didn't you jump?" Naruto asked after he gulped. He couldn't imagine how much worse life would have been if Sasuke had killed himself that day.

"Because Ino found me," Sasuke said. "She tried to talk me down, but I refused. So instead, she stood next to me and told me that if I jumped, she'd jump too." Naruto's eyes widened in shock, never having known how close he came to a life of loneliness. "I knew that after what I'd caused, I couldn't kill myself if you'd lose her, too. I decided to just wait until I was alone to do it, and then everyone would have been better off."

"What stopped you?" Naruto asked, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"Well, when the doctor told me about your condition and that it would be best to play along, I knew that it was the least I could do," Sasuke admitted. "If I stayed around as your boyfriend, then I figured I could somewhat make up for what I did. But no matter what I do for you, I could never truly make up for the pain I caused you."

"But it wasn't your fault," Naruto insisted.

"Stop saying that!" Sasuke yelled. "It _was_ my fault. I know it, and deep down, you know it too. I love you so much, Naruto, and I just keep hurting you over and over again, and I don't know what to do. I guess I'm selfish, because if I really loved you, I'd just leave you alone, but I can't do that. No matter how much hurt I cause you, I need you. And I know it's incredibly selfish, but I just don't want to let you go."

"I'm not going anywhere," Naruto said, standing up to hug Sasuke. "I can't imagine not having you here. If you left me, I'd be much more hurt than anything that could result from our relationship." Sasuke lowered his head to Naruto's shoulders, making the blonde's shirt wet.

"How can you stand to be with me?" Sasuke asked between sobs. "How can you look at me and not feel resentment?"

"Because I don't blame you," Naruto said. "As much as your actions did put me in the situation, I don't blame you. It's not like you knew Kyuubi was going to rape me. For god's sake, you thought I was an orphan! There was no way you could have known that this was going to happen."

Sasuke visibly relaxed into the embrace at Naruto's words, but he continued to cry. Naruto felt himself tear up at the display of emotion from the Uchiha. Never before had he bared his soul so fully for display. When he told Naruto about his parents and Madara, he didn't break down, nor did he break down when he found out about Madara (at least not in front of anyone). He always kept his emotions so safely guarded and masked that to actually see him like this was…it was astounding!

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said, still blaming himself for Naruto had gone through. Naruto, aware of the battle within the Uchiha, sighed and pulled Sasuke's face up. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, and he was sporting a small blush from having shown such emotion and vulnerability. Before the raven had a chance to question Naruto, the blond pulled the other's face towards his own, releasing all his pent up emotion into the kiss.

Sasuke didn't deepen the kiss, but he did respond with equal fervor. The emotionally charged moment was giving way to passion, as they comforted each other through the meeting of their lips. Sasuke pulled the blond closer to him as he devoured the pink lips in front of him. He was desperate for as much contact from Naruto as possible, almost as if he'd lose the blond if he didn't hold on tight.

Realizing that he made this point, Naruto started to slowly pull back, making sure to look in Sasuke's eyes as he did so. "I know," he said with a small smile. "I will always be there for you, on one condition," he said. Sasuke's eyes widened and he wondered what the condition was. As if he was reading his mind, Naruto answered the unasked question. "Please always be there for me."

"Always and forever," Sasuke said as he pulled the blond into a tighter hug. Naruto smiled and closed his eyes, enjoying the closeness with the Uchiha. When he opened them again, he was shocked at what he saw behind Sasuke.

Kyuubi was standing there in the same clothes he'd worn _that night_. He had a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead where Sasuke had shot him, and a small trickle of blood was flowing down his forehead. Naruto could immediately tell he was seeing things, and he rationally knew that Kyuubi wasn't really standing there.

"You think that's love?" the phantom Kyuubi asked Naruto, and the blond froze up a bit. Based off Sasuke's reaction, he realized he was just hearing things, which was even worse. "Two men could never fall in love. You think you can move past what I did and fall in love with him, but you're dead wrong. You will never be able to give yourself to him completely. You'll never truly become the faggot that, for some strange reason, you want to be."

Naruto closed his eyes and Sasuke pulled back to look at the blond. He was concerned, as Naruto seemed to tense up for no reason at all. He saw the blond squeeze his eyes tight before opening again. Upon seeing that the phantom Kyuubi had disappeared, Naruto let out a sigh of relief that didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke, who quirked a brow.

"Let's go to bed," Naruto suggested, not wanting to tell Sasuke about seeing Kyuubi. They got undressed to their underwear and crept into bed together, embracing each other. As he drifted off into sleep, Naruto silently worried. Between the nightmares and now seeing his dead, rapist father, was he going crazy again? He didn't get much sleep that night.

**Please Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	26. Untitled

**Disclaimer: Why do I always have to write a disclaimer? How does FFN know that I'm **_**not**_** Masashi Kishimoto?**

**I couldn't think of a good title to fit all that happens in this chapter together, so it's Untitled.**

**This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Twenty-Six: Untitled

This morning, the sun shone through the window of Sasuke and Naruto's room, a beam of light landing on the scrunched up face of a certain blond. Naruto attempted to roll over to get the sun out of his eyes, but he soon realized that he wasn't able to. His eyes shot open as he realized that he was, once again, in bed with Sasuke. But this time, it was different than any of the other times the two had shared a bed.

Naruto had been resting his head on Sasuke's bare chest, his drool making the pale torso slightly wet. Also unusual was that the Uchiha was holding him. It wasn't the usual spooning embrace that he had come to know, but instead a grip that held Naruto in place, not wanting to release the body. Naruto struggled slightly, wanting to move, but not wanting to wake up the raven. He soon, realized, however, that it wasn't going to be easy.

Instead, he decided to slip out from the embrace, hoping that it would be easier to escape without waking Sasuke up from his apparently deep sleep. Naruto sucked in his gut and started to slide down, successfully escaping Sasuke's grasp. Finally, Naruto stood up beside the bed, watching the Uchiha sleep, a smile on his face. Naruto was somewhat envious – he didn't get much sleep last night. That wasn't abnormal for him anymore, but there was something different.

This time, he didn't get raped in a sewer by his father. No, this time, he was reliving the day he shot Sasuke. From the second he got out of class that day to the second he pulled the trigger. It was like he was watching from outside his body, not able to change the events. He saw himself start to go crazy, believing that his father was alive and ready to harm Ino and Sakura. He saw himself call person after person, hoping that someone would help. He saw himself collect his gun and head out to the Uchiha mansion. He saw himself climb the stairs and confront Sasuke. And then, as much as he tried to stop it, he saw himself shoot the man who would soon become his boyfriend.

He saw Kyuubi again – not his father. He saw his 'alternate personality' who had threatened to take over his mind. It was as if he relived the day exactly as it was. He stood rooted to the floor as he watched himself struggle, trying desperately to maintain the reins of his sanity (or what was left of it). Then, something really weird happened.

_Naruto was standing on the water in front of a waterfall. On either side of the waterfall were colossal statues of people – one was him, and one was Sasuke. He stood next to the statue form of himself, facing his Sasuke, who stood next to the statue form of himself._

"_Naruto," Sasuke said, a coldness in his voice that Sasuke had never heard from the raven. "You're pathetic."_

"_Sasuke?" he had asked, not believing that he was hearing those words coming from his boyfriend. He never heard Sasuke talk like that to him. Well, maybe when they first met, but not now. Not now that they were together._

"_You heard him," came a voice that Naruto immediately recognized as Ino. She appeared next to Sasuke, wrapping her arms around him. "You see this, Naruto? This is a guy and a girl together. That's how it's supposed to be." Naruto tried to speak, but he couldn't get a word out before he heard another voice._

"_You're a fag," came another voice from the other side of Sasuke. A shadowy figure started to become visible to Naruto, and the blond instantly recognized it as Kiba. "How can you live with yourself, being unnatural like that?"_

"_How can you say that?" Naruto asked. "You have a boyfriend!"_

"_Think again," came the voice of another shadowy figure. It soon, like the ones before it, became visible to the blond, and he was shocked to see Hinata, embracing Kiba like a long lost lover. "You had your chance to be with me, but you chose to be a sissy instead. I need a real man, and you're anything but one."_

"_This isn't real," Naruto said, shaking his head. "It can't be."_

"_I'm very disappointed," said another shadowy figure that appeared next to Ino. "When I had agreed to take you in, I didn't realize I was adopting a cocksucker. If I knew what you'd be back then, I never would have signed those papers." He watched as Inoichi materialized from the shadowy figure._

_Naruto couldn't breathe. He felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. This couldn't be happening. They couldn't possibly hate him as much as they said they did. Not because he was gay!_

"_Your mother would be so disappointed," came the deep voice of another shadowy figure. "She wanted so much better for you." The figure cleared up, revealing Jiraya._

"_I never thought I'd be so disappointed in my godson," Tsunade said, appearing from a shadowy figure next to Jiraya._

"_That goes double from me," Jiraya commented._

_Naruto watched in shock as the people closest to him shunned him. They couldn't accept him because of who he was with. Even his _boyfriend_ couldn't accept him being gay. How fucked up was that?_

"_At least you had me," came a voice from right next to Naruto. Naruto jumped in shock, watching as another shadowy figure turned into Kyuubi, an evil smirk on his face. "I know just how to make an ass pirate like you satisfied," he said, the malicious grin growing wider. Naruto's eyes widened in shock, even though he knew it shouldn't surprise him._

"_Please!" Naruto begged as Kyuubi approached. "Please leave me alone!"_

"_Take it like the faggot you are!" Ino said from across the water._

"_Yeah, you wanted it so much, you might as well enjoy it!" Kiba said with a sneer._

_Naruto backed away until he felt a presence behind him. He looked and saw that Sasuke seemed to teleport to him. Naruto, relieved that he was close to his boyfriend, tried to embrace the Uchiha, only to be shoved back._

"_I would never let you touch me," Sasuke said. Suddenly, his shirt was gone, and Naruto clearly saw a scar from the bullet hole that he'd put into the raven. "You're just a lunatic who enjoys taking it up the ass. You'll never be worth anything."_

Naruto gulped, remembering what happened next. Like in all his other dreams, he was attacked by Kyuubi, but this was different. This time, he didn't feel like a victim while it was happening. He felt like he _deserved_ it. It was ludicrous, thinking about it now that he was awake, but those words had gotten to him. How could he possibly think that all his friends would turn on him like that?

Then, he was hit with a wave of shame as he looked down at the sleeping Uchiha. His eyes zeroed in on the scar on his chest, and he felt a pang of guilt. Sasuke was beautiful, and his flawless chest was marred by the scar. And it was all Naruto's fault for going crazy.

"You're still crazy," said a voice from behind him. Naruto turned around and saw his father once more, like he had the night before. He was wearing the same clothes, and the wound on his forehead was still bleeding. "You're seeing dead people. You didn't have to see _The Sixth Sense_ to know that's not a good thing."

"Shut up," Naruto said. "You're not even real."

"I know," Kyuubi said with a triumphant smirk. "I'm _not_ real. But you still see me. That's not a ringing endorsement for sanity."

"What do you want from me?" Naruto asked, refusing to believe he was talking to a dead person. "You've already scarred me for life. You need to haunt me too?" Kyuubi opened his mouth as if he was about to respond, but there was a knock on the door. Naruto sighed angrily and walked over to the door to see who it was. He opened the door and was surprised to see Neji standing there.

Naruto noticed the Hyuga visibly tense upon seeing him, and Naruto couldn't blame him. After all, he _did_ break Neji's cousin's heart. The two stood there a few seconds, silent. Neji's eyes showed a furious anger, desperate to release its fury on the blond. But despite the inner emotion he felt, he willed himself to stay completely calm and cool.

"Oh, it's your cousin-in-law," Kyuubi said from behind Naruto.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked the brunet finally, ignoring the voice he heard from his father.

"I'm here for Sasuke," Neji said. "We were going to the mall with Gaara and Sakura today."

"This early?" Naruto asked, looking at his alarm clock for confirmation on the time. Unfortunately, his alarm clock didn't agree with him, as it was already 11:29. Naruto stared wide eyed at the clock before returning his attention to Neji. "Oh, um…he's still asleep."

"I figured that," Neji spat at him, his glare intensifying.

"You should really mend fences with that Hyuga kid," Kyuubi said. "I'm still holding out hope that he'll be your cousin in law one day."

"Shut up," Naruto said, not realizing that he was talking to someone that no one could see.

"Excuse me?" Neji asked, his anger intensifying. Naruto took in a sharp breath, realizing that he'd spoken to his father's apparition aloud. Trying to salvage this, he put on an angry face and glared at the Hyuga.

"You heard me," Naruto said, his pointed glare nearly rivaling Neji's. "I don't need to stand here and take your sarcasm."

"Just go wake Sasuke up," Neji said in a dangerously low tone. "You don't want to make me mad right now." Naruto, accepting the fact that he didn't want to start a fight while still in his boxers, retreated into the room and nudged Sasuke.

"Nice save," Kyuubi said to Naruto as he walked over to his boyfriend's bed.

"Wake up," Naruto said, causing the Uchiha to roll over. "Neji's here." Sasuke's eyes shot open and he sprung forward, sitting up straight in a flash and staring right at his friend.

"Oh," Sasuke said, his cheeks slightly reddening. "I guess I'll get dressed then."

"Naruto," Neji said pointedly. "Can I see you out in the hallway for a moment?" Naruto nodded, realizing that the Hyuga probably didn't want to discuss ramen recipes with him out there. He followed Neji out to the hallway, closing the door behind him to give Sasuke privacy as he dressed. "Why?" Naruto was shocked at the level of control Neji was exhibiting. Quite frankly, he expected a black eye by now. "You promised me you only had pure intentions for her, and that you wouldn't break up with her."

"I know, and I meant it," Naruto said. "I really _did_ like Hinata, and I saw a future for the two of us. I meant every word I said to you."

"Then why?" Neji asked. Naruto looked at the salmon colored carpeting in the hallway before looking back to the teen standing in front of him, his eyes ashamed.

"I never wanted to hurt her," Naruto said. "But I found someone else who I had feelings for. And it wouldn't have been fair to anyone if I pretended to be someone I wasn't. It was better that I ended it now rather than in a few months or years of forced feelings."

"Who?" Neji asked, but Naruto just shook his head. "You broke Hinata's heart!" Neji screamed. "You tore it out from her. She loved you, and you don't even have the decency to tell me what slut you left her for!"

"Does it really matter who?" Naruto asked. "Either way, I have feelings for someone else. It doesn't matter who."

"I want to know," Neji said, his voice in that dangerously low tone again. "Tell me, or I'll just ask Sasuke. He's your roommate; he's bound to know who you spend time with."

"Just drop it, okay Neji?" Naruto pleaded. "It won't make you feel any better, nor will it help Hinata. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to see someone." Naruto walked by Neji to leave, but Neji grabbed his wrist and jerked him back.

"With who? Your new girlfriend?" he asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Naruto jerked his hand free from the Hyuga's grip and narrowed his eyes in response.

"Oh snap!" ghost Kyuubi said, but Naruto ignored him.

"Not that it's any of _your_ business, but I have an appointment with my therapist," Naruto said, a smug look crossing his face. "Remember, I'm crazy. I guess it's a good thing that Hinata chose not to get involved with me, huh?"

"Yeah, you're pretty coocoo," Kyuubi agreed, angering Naruto.

"Shut up!" he exclaimed, realizing half a second later that he'd just spoken again to someone who didn't exist. Luckily, it didn't take long to come up with a cover story, which was actually sort of the truth. He turned to Neji, who had a confused look on his face. "You see, I'm so nutso that I'm seeing dead people. The entire time we've been talking, I've been talking to my dead father, too." He made sure that his voice was dripping in sarcasm, as to piss off the Hyuga.

Neji rolled his eyes. "You're not funny. I don't even know why I decided to waste my breath with you." Naruto, taking advantage of the fact that Neji gave up trying to yell at him, walked down the hallway and continued to his car. A mere half hour later, he was parking his car at Konoha Mental Hospital, ready for his appointment with Dr. Kishimoto.

"So how have you been since you last saw me?" Dr. Kishimoto asked as the session began. "Are you still having those dreams?" Naruto nodded and the therapist sighed. "Did you have that talk with Sasuke?" Naruto nodded once again, and Dr. Kishimoto gestured for him to elaborate.

"Well, I was going to have the talk as soon as I saw him, but when we got back to our room, his brother was there with Kakashi and a detective," Naruto explained. Dr. Kishimoto raised an eyebrow, and Naruto elaborated. "They'd found out that Sasuke's uncle, Madara, killed himself." Dr. Kishimoto's eyes widened, remembering his talk with Sasuke about his uncle.

"I didn't know that," Dr. Kishimoto said. "Tell Sasuke that if he ever needs to talk to come see me."

"I will," Naruto said with a nod. "Anyway, after he heard the news, he took it really badly. He disappeared for a whole day, and I didn't see him again until the next day, when Kakashi had talked to him, and they were going to hear the reading of his uncle's will." Dr. Kishimoto nodded, and Naruto continued. "It was really hard for him, and he ended up running out in the middle. I followed him, and he just started to break down."

"How did you react?" Dr. Kishimoto asked, shocking Naruto.

"What do you mean?" the blond asked, not realizing how his reaction had anything to do with anything.

"Well, it seems like Sasuke tends to take the role of 'protector', and he has comforted you many times before," Dr. Kishimoto explained. "First was the incident after the rape, then there was that incident when he found you after you were almost raped again in the alley, then there was the time at the cemetery. But it seems like this has been the first time when he's really been in that position of vulnerability with you. How did you react?"

"I told him that it was okay," Naruto said. "He was taking it really hard because he had talked to Madara the day before he killed himself and they had a huge fight." Dr. Kishimoto leaned back in his chair, a sudden change in his expression. Naruto didn't notice as it quickly reverted back to normal. "I let him cry on my shoulder for a little bit, and then we went back to our room.

"I wanted to talk about Madara, but he didn't, so he kissed me," Naruto continued. "We started to go further, but I stopped him so we could have the talk. I told him everything – about the dreams, about the session I had with you, and we decided that we'd take things slow."

"That's good," Dr. Kishimoto praised. "It's important to remain open and honest in your relationship."

"Me too," Naruto agreed. "That's why I also told him what happened…that night." Dr. Kishimoto's expression suddenly got grimmer.

"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. "You never even felt comfortable telling me that. You just left it at 'I got raped'. You told me you never wanted to think about it again, let alone talk about it."

"That's how I felt," Naruto said with a nod. "But…I can't explain it. It just felt _right_ to tell him. He took it really hard."

"How so?" Dr. Kishimoto asked.

"He blamed himself," Naruto told him. "And in many ways, he was right. I didn't tell him that, of course. He insisted on blaming himself, though, and I told him that I was glad that I was with him, even if I had to go through all of that. He told me that he…he thought about killing himself after the paramedics brought me to the hospital."

"Really?" Dr. Kishimoto asked, this being news to him. It felt unusual to him to have two patients whose lives were so connected, but he was hoping to understand Sasuke more through Naruto. After all, the raven didn't seem to be very talkative and forthcoming about everything in his life, and he seemed to tell Naruto much more than he'd tell his therapist. Dr. Kishimoto just hoped that Sasuke would eventually schedule a follow up appointment so they could discuss what had gone on with him.

"Yeah," Naruto said. "It was Ino who got him to step down. Things got really intense and emotional, and we ended up promising never to leave each other."

"That's a big promise," Dr. Kishimoto observed.

"And I meant it," Naruto insisted. He looked down at the ground and Dr. Kishimoto quirked an eyebrow.

"Is there anything else that happened?" Dr. Kishimoto asked.

Naruto was about to respond when he saw the phantom of his dead father standing by the doorway. He shut his eyes, hoping to will it away, but it didn't go away. But when he opened his eyes, Kyuubi was still there. "Go on," his father said. "Tell him about me."

"Naruto?" Dr. Kishimoto asked, jolting the blond from his thoughts. He looked back at the doctor and then back to Kyuubi.

"If I tell you something, will you promise to not commit me?" Naruto asked, his voice weak with self consciousness and nervousness. Dr. Kishimoto furrowed his brow and answered.

"As your court-appointed psychiatrist, the only way I could commit you again would be if I thought you were a danger to yourself or others," Dr. Kishimoto explained. "Other than that, any psychiatric treatment is wholly up to you."

"I've been seeing Kyuubi," Naruto blurted out as soon as the psychiatrist finished his sentence. He hadn't meant to say it that way, but it just happened to fall out of his mouth, like word vomit. "Ever since that night a few days ago after the reading of Madara's will. It's like he's there, haunting me. And I had another dream last night, which was different than the others. It was like everyone I loved turned their back on me for being gay. And then Kyuubi raped me again."

"You've been seeing your father?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. "Does he talk to you?" Naruto nodded. "Is he here now?" Naruto looked over at the doorway where he saw his father's triumphant smirk before lowering his head, nonverbally answering the psychiatrist's questions. "Does he tell you to _do_ anything?"

"No," Naruto said. "He just harasses me about being gay and he says a lot of smart ass shit. It's like he's just there to make me paranoid and crazy."

"I think what you need to do is to come to terms with your sexuality," Dr. Kishimoto said.

"I am!" Naruto insisted. "I know I'm g-gay." He stuttered over the word, realizing that it was the first time he'd said that out loud.

"There's a difference between knowing it and accepting it," Dr. Kishimoto explained. "There's a struggle going on within you because part of you is ashamed of being gay. The vision you see of Kyuubi is like your conscience – almost like the devil on your shoulder. You know that you're gay, but you can't accept it, which is bringing on the dreams and visions."

"I thought you said it was because I was scared of getting intimate with Sasuke," Naruto said. "Now it's something totally different?"

"Well, part of that fear of getting intimate was shame, wasn't it?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. "_Isn't_ it?" he clarified. Naruto, realizing that Dr. Kishimoto was right to some degree, lowered his head. "I thought it was simply the fact that you didn't accept it because of the intimacy issue, but from your latest dream, I'm beginning to think otherwise. I think your problem is that you fear what society says about your relationship. Who else knows about you and Sasuke?"

"Only Kiba and Gaara because they found out by accident," Naruto replied.

"Why haven't you told your father or Ino?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. "Even Tsunade and Jiraya? I think that if you would just tell your close friends and family, it'll be a lot easier for you."

"I don't want to make things public," Naruto said. "It'll get too complicated."

"And it's not complicated already?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. Even Naruto had to admit that he had a point there.

"It's just that we don't want Hinata and Neji to find out about us," Naruto explained. "We don't want to do anything to ruin Sasuke's friendship with them."

"Well, if you think it's healthy to keep it a secret from your closest friends and family, then I guess you can do that too," Dr. Kishimoto said nonchalantly.

"Well, when you say it like that…" Naruto muttered, causing Dr. Kishimoto to chuckle. "I know it probably sounds silly, but I guess I'm just not ready."

"And I think that's what's causing these nightmares and visions," Dr. Kishimoto said. "When you're ready and you let it out, you will not only feel much better, but you'll probably sleep a lot better too."

A glance towards the clock announced that it was time to stop the session. Not at all content with the results of this week's session, Naruto stood up to leave, but Dr. Kishimoto stopped him.

"I think I should bring you to see someone," Dr. Kishimoto said.

* * *

It had been weeks since Sasuke had actually hung out with his friends. There seemed to constantly be something in the way – and he took some responsibility. After all, for a month and a half, his drinking problem was that 'something'. And the last couple of weeks, Sasuke had been sort of avoiding Neji and Hinata, choosing instead to spend his time with Sakura, Gaara, and Naruto. After all, he hated lying to his friends, especially about something so important.

That's why, when Sakura suggested in biology that the five of them got together – Sasuke, Neji, Hinata, Gaara and herself – Sasuke was all for it. As much as he felt guilty about dating Naruto, he was keeping it secret to maintain his friendship with Hinata and Neji. Avoiding them to the point of ruining their friendship wouldn't really be a smart idea.

Right now, Neji, Gaara and Sasuke were waiting inside Ino and Sakura's room, waiting for the pinkette to decide which jacket best matched her shoes and belt. The blonde was facing a similar issue, as she was deciding which pocketbook matched her hair best, as she was hanging out with Shikamaru. And if that wasn't bad enough, Ino and Sakura nearly bit off Gaara's head when he suggested a bag that was "so last fall". You'd think he'd have realized by now not to interfere with Sakura when she was having a fashion 'crisis'.

"How much longer are they gonna take?" Sasuke muttered in aggravation. It really didn't take much for Sakura to put him in that mood. Sometimes he wondered why he even put up with this.

"Why don't you just wear the pink jacket?" Neji suggested, hoping to end the agonizingly long wait. But alas, it seemed these were the wrong words. Immediately, Sakura tensed up and sent him a glare.

"That's a _summer_ color," she said. "Even you should know that," she said. She probably would have continued her rant, but she finally realized it was ten minutes after we were supposed to get going, so she returned to her search before finally finding the perfect jacket. Neither Sasuke nor Neji nor Gaara pointed out that it was the same jacket she wore every day for the past week. "I'm ready to go!" she announced. Suddenly, with her attention on the group in front of her, she furrowed her brow, realizing someone was missing. "Where's Hinata? Isn't she coming?"

"She was going to," Neji said. "But for the last few days she's been kind of sick." This caught Sasuke's attention, as well as Gaara's. Hinata almost never got sick.

"What's wrong with her?" Sasuke asked, concern evident in his voice. He had just figured they were going to go pick Hinata up after they got Sakura.

"She must have some weird stomach bug or something," Neji said with a shrug. "She's been throwing up a lot the last few days, but she hasn't had a fever."

"I hope she's okay," Ino said from across the room. Sasuke had almost forgotten that they were still in Sakura's room.

"She's actually going to the doctor today to find out what's wrong," Neji said.

This seemed to satisfy everyone in the room, and soon the four friends were riding down the highway towards the mall in Neji's convertible. Sakura insisted it wasn't too cold to open the roof, but Sasuke and Gaara put their foot down at 50o. The little bit of bickering and complaining Sakura did actually contented Sasuke for once. It actually felt like old times, before all the drama and the secrets. Before he and Gaara had kept Sasuke's new relationship from the others, and even before he had to deal with Hinata dating the love of his life.

It didn't take them long to arrive at the mall, as traffic was very thin. They first went to the Gamestop, where Gaara decided to buy Kiba a Christmas present. Sasuke was shocked to realize it was already the last week in November, and he then realized that Thanksgiving was upon them. It had seemed like November had gone by so fast since Halloween happened, and he and Naruto finally got together.

This brought him to another thought – it was only a month until Christmas. He liked to get his shopping done early, as he never liked the large crowds that would come to get the newest and latest things for their loved ones. He usually didn't put too much thought into his gifts – a nice piece of jewelry for Sakura, a good book series for Neji, an erotic novel for Kakashi. Other than his close personal friends, he never really had to shop. But now, he had to get a present for Naruto. This was his first relationship, and he had no idea what to get him. It had to be something that really described his relationship with the blond.

It had to be perfect. There's no way that he could just give him a couple of packages of ramen, or even the latest Battlefield videogame. He had to get Naruto something that would make the blond choke up in happiness, something that showed all the love he shared for him. Suddenly, he wondered when he got so sappy. But in a way, it made sense: Naruto was the kind of person to take Christmas gifts very seriously. It had to be something that conveyed the right message, as he knew the blond would be looking into it.

"Earth to Sasuke!" Sakura said as she waved her hands in front of the raven's face. It took a few seconds for him to register him, but he finally realized he'd been spacing out. "We're leaving. It's time to hit Victoria's Secret."

"I thought we'd agreed on Hollister," Gaara said from the entrance of the store. In response, Neji scoffed.

"As if she'd take us here and _not_ go to Victoria's Secret," Neji said as if Gaara' train of thought was completely ludicrous. And truthfully, knowing Sakura, Sasuke had to agree. "Thank god I don't qualify as her gay best friend."

Sasuke sighed and moved over to the other boys, Sakura following him. Finally, he stood across from Gaara, both their hands balled into fists. You see, in the many times they'd hung out at the mall, they'd developed a routine. Whenever Sakura announced it was time to hit Victoria's Secret, they'd play rock paper scissors to decide who had to go with her. The loser had to accompany her and carry the bags for her afterwards.

"One, two three," Sasuke and Gaara said in unison as their fists bounced against the open palms of their other hands. After the last word, they both switched their fingering, Sasuke having chosen rock and Gaara having chose scissors. After he cursed under his breath, Sakura took his hand and led her away.

Neji and Sasuke then decided to go to the food court to wait for them, something which they tended to do. They would have gone to another store (one geared more towards men), but they didn't want to be unfair to Gaara. He already had to put up with Sakura shopping at Victoria's Secret…wasn't that punishment enough?

"I didn't even realize it was time for Thanksgiving," Sasuke commented as he sat down, eating his Sbarro pizza. Neji sat down across from him with his Asian Chow food, taking small bites from his rice. "This month has passed by so fast."

"I forgot to invite you to the Hyuga Thanksgiving meal," Neji said, as if the thought of Thanksgiving had just occurred to him as well. "Of course, it's a standing invitation every year, but I didn't know if you'd want to be alone with Itachi this year especially."

"It's okay," Sasuke said. "I'll have dinner at my place and I'll swing by your mansion for dessert." That was how it usually went. And Gaara, who couldn't stand his siblings, made sure to keep Sasuke company during dinner before they retreated to the Hyuga's for dessert. Sakura tended to stay the entire holiday at Neji's.

"I figured I'd invite Suigetsu too," Neji said, "since he's your friend and Gaara's roommate. And I guess if I invite Gaara, I have to invite Kiba too, huh? Did I tell you what they did to my guest bedroom during that Halloween party?"

Sasuke immediately averted his gaze at the mention of Halloween, a prickle of guilt settling in. He knew he didn't have to feel guilty for being with Naruto – after all, he was the one who fell for him first. But he kept lying and keeping secrets about it, and it was reaching the point where he could barely look his friend in the eye.

"Are you okay?" Neji asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. "You've spaced out a few times today, and now you're just acting weird."

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Sasuke said. "It's just been really hard, the last week with losing Madara." Neji nodded in understanding, and Sasuke felt guilty about the lie. It was like in order to cover up his lie, he had to lie again, and he was stuck in an endless cycle of lies. And that wasn't what he wanted. All he wanted to do is stand up and shout out to the world that he was with Naruto.

It didn't take long for Gaara and Sakura to return, and, from the looks of the bags that Gaara was carrying, Sasuke bet that her father would have to have another talk with her about the charge card she used. Soon, they were all in discussions about Thanksgiving and the holidays and presents and more. Gaara said something about Suigetsu having a holiday party at his mansion – wasn't it early to be making Christmas plans like that? – but Sasuke didn't really pay attention. He kept thinking about Naruto.

* * *

Dr. Kishimoto led Naruto down the hall, making two left turns before stopping at a door. Naruto immediately recognized it, as he'd spent a lot of time in that room when he was a patient at the hospital. The walls were a blueish white that reminded Naruto a little bit about Suigetsu's hair, while the floor was light grey tile. He watched as the psychiatrist knocked twice on the steel door before opening it.

Naruto walked in the room and was surprised to find that the room was empty. He'd never known this particular person to be outside of his room. He was very introverted, and only said one word the entire time Naruto was there. In fact, until that moment, everyone at the hospital just assumed that this guy was just a mute.

"He must be in the lounge," Dr. Kishimoto said as if it was a normal occurrence. Naruto was positively shocked. Things must have changed in the months since he left.

Shamishima Miki was only about four years old when he witnessed his parents being murdered. He was constantly shuffled from foster home to foster home, but he'd never stay in one place long. Few truly knew the reason why Miki was put in KMH, but Naruto knew the truth. Miki had been about ten when he tried to kill himself.

At first, the foster family had just ignored it, telling him not to keep doing it. But he kept doing it, wishing to reunite with his parents. He would try to cut himself, or suffocate himself with a plastic bag. Finally, his foster family gave up and put him in the hospital. He was considered a huge danger to himself and others, even though he wouldn't hurt a fly.

In fact, he had seen the ghosts of his parents constantly. They were always around, encouraging him to kill himself. He was only fourteen when Naruto was admitted, but he probably had his birthday by now. It took a couple of days before Naruto saw him, but he immediately felt drawn to him for some reason. Maybe it was because Naruto watched his own father die, even though he was in a crazy, mental fog at that moment. Or maybe it was because Naruto didn't realize why someone would shut himself away from the world and not speak to anyone.

After curfew, only a few days after he had met Miki and tried to bring the younger teen out of his shell, Naruto snuck out of his room and used keys he swiped from the nurse's station to sneak into his room. Naruto started to talk to Miki, and Miki would listen. Naruto told him all about his life – about Kyuubi, Ino, Inoichi, Sasuke, Kiba, Sai, Lee, Choji – all his friends and family. He told him about Sakura and Hinata, and about how much he hated being 'crazy'. Every night, he'd return and tell Miki another story before he went back to his room to sleep.

After two weeks of this, Miki started staying up the listen to Naruto. Instead of huddling himself under his covers in a tight cocoon, he'd just lay under the blankets, his head visible, and watch Naruto as he animatedly told stories that he'd heard from Tsunade and Jiraya about his mother. He still wouldn't leave the room, but Naruto was confident that he was bringing the boy out of his shell.

Then, about a week and a half before Naruto left, something amazing happened. He snuck into Miki's room at night and found Miki sitting up, waiting for him. By now, Dr. Kishimoto had found out that Naruto had been sneaking into the room. The psychiatrist lived nearby and frequently stayed late. He caught Naruto stealing the keys to the room and had confronted him, but let him go. He realized in the weeks that Naruto had been a good influence – Miki was showing minor improvement in his sessions since the blond had been admitted.

That night, when Naruto had told Miki the story about the neko costume, he smiled, knowing he was changing the boy. Not only was he sitting up, but he would respond to Naruto with facial expressions – a shocked expression here, an eyebrow quirk there, and he smirked at one point. This minor display of emotion continued for the rest of the week, and a few days before Naruto left, he managed to get the boy to actually smile, and Naruto swore he heard a chuckle.

The day he left, Naruto said goodbye to many people. While his nights solely belonged to Miki, he had made other friends that he hung out with during the day when Miki locked himself up in his room. But when he was about to leave, he realized he'd forgotten to say goodbye to Miki. He made a beeline to Miki's room, and he found the boy sitting up, staring at the floor with a miserable expression on his face.

When he saw Naruto, his face lit up, and Naruto smiled. He said his goodbye to Miki, and was stunned into silence when Miki had said that one word – goodbye – back to him. It was the first time he'd heard the younger male's voice, and it sounded scratchy. Naruto could easily tell that it was the first time in a long while that the boy had used his voice.

Naruto was brought back to the present when he heard Dr. Kishimoto shut the door to the vacant room. Had so much really changed in the months since he'd left? The kid was only fourteen, but he'd been in the institution for years without uttering one word or leaving his room once. And now, he was outside the room, and, hopefully, speaking again? It was astounding!

"He's…not in his room?" Naruto asked, not sure if those words even made sense. He looked up at the psychiatrist's face and saw a look of affirmation, which sent a chill up Naruto's spine. Things had changed without him. He briefly wondered what else changed – was Nora still a couch hog? Was Chibiku still so gloomy? Did Yuro still screech whenever he got excited?

"You had a large impact on him, Naruto," Dr. Kishimoto said. "After you left, he started to go to the cafeteria for meals, and he started going to the lounge. And just a few weeks ago, he spoke up during a therapy session."

"What did he say?" Naruto asked. The psychiatrist smiled.

"'My throat is dry; can I have some water?'" Dr. Kishimoto recalled, his eyes shut in the memory. "After years of therapy and other treatments, nothing got him to open up until you. I've never been so glad to know that someone in the mental institution had been stealing keys and entering the room of someone who was a danger to themselves and others."

Naruto smirked at the joke. The two walked down the hall towards the adolescent lounge, and Naruto felt like he'd been hit with a wave of nostalgia when he entered. So many faces that he hadn't seen in months. It was such a powerful moment.

"Naruto!" Anooki exclaimed, sitting up in the chair where he was playing shogi. The yell attracted the attention of the other patients, who all looked in his direction.

"Naruto?" asked Nora, as if he didn't believe the blond was standing at the doorway.

"," screeched a thirteen year old in the corner, Yuro, upon seeing Naruto. Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck as he waited for all the commotion to die down.

"Nora, move over and give Naruto some room," Anooki ordered, eliciting a huff from the other teenager.

"It he wants a seat, he can sit on the other sofa," Nora said as if he was a five year old and not a sixteen year old. "I don't see why _I_ have to give up _my_ sofa."

"You're all so annoying," Chibuku muttered. "Why can't you all just get sane again and leave me alone. Life is so awful here."

"Glad to see that not much has changed," Naruto said with a smirk as his eyes zeroed in on someone sitting on the sofa (not Nora's sofa, the other one). "Is that _you_, Miki?"

The green haired boy blushed slightly before greeting Naruto with a small smile. "Hello," he said, causing even more commotion in the room.

"He spoke again?" Nora exclaimed in utter shock. "Will these miracles never end?"

"Shut up, Nora," Chibuku said in an annoyed tone of voice. "He won't _want_ to talk if you keep making such a big deal about it."

"One day, you're all going to die, and I'll be able to live peacefully," Chibuku muttered.

Suddenly, Anooki turned his attention to Naruto in the doorway again. "Wait, you didn't get committed again, did you?" This caught the attention of the rest of the inhabitants.

"Please tell me you didn't shoot some poor sap," Nora said nonchalantly as he changed the channel on the TV.

"You do know you're a guy, right?" Chibuku asked the blond skeptically. "I really don't fancy having to deal with another annoying fucker right now."

Suddenly, a black haired girl in the corner looked up and saw Naruto in the doorway. "Naruto! Is that you?" She was the slow one.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ," screeched Yuro once more before everyone heard a banging on the floor. It was from the senior wing downstairs, where some old person was hitting a broom on their ceiling to catch the attention of the teenagers.

"Quiet down you whippersnappers!" came the voice of an old lady. "I can barely hear all my selves think with all that racket!"

Everyone started laughing, excluding Chibiku of course, and Naruto took the opportunity to speak. "I'm not committed again," he said. '_Well, not yet,'_ his mind added as an afterthought. "I'm just here to see how you guys are."

"Well, Nora's still an asshole," Anooki said, sending a glare towards the other boy.

"They're all still annoying as all fuck," Chibiku said. "Either kill them all or put me out of my misery, please."

"How are you?" Miki said to Naruto, attracting the attention of the others by speaking once more. Naruto noticed that Miki's voice seemed somewhat different. It must have been the fact that he'd been talking more and more, and his voice was becoming used more and more. The scratchiness was gone from the voice, and it instead sounded velvety, like that of the purest of souls.

"I'm doing pretty good," Naruto said with a large grin, but Dr. Kishimoto put an arm on his shoulder.

"Miki, would you mind stepping into my office for a few minutes with me and Naruto?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. The green haired boy shrugged and stood up, walking towards the door. The three prepared to leave when Naruto heard a voice from behind him.

"Hey!" Anooki exclaimed. "Don't be a stranger, Naruto. You should come visit more often!"

"I will," Naruto said with a smile and a thumbs up. "I'll drop in after every appointment." Satisfied with the response, the others went back to their pre-Naruto activities while Dr. Kishimoto led Naruto and Miki to his office. After they entered, Naruto and Miki sat down on the couch, but Dr. Kishimoto remained standing up.

"Miki, I think Naruto has some things that you could help him with," Dr. Kishimoto said with a smile. "I'm going to go for my lunch break, so you two just don't break anything until I get back." With that, Dr. Kishimoto walked back out of the room, and Miki stood, taking Dr. Kishimoto's usual place in his swiveling chair.

"What's going on?" Miki asked. Although he was speaking, he still didn't seemed to be one for long, drawn out speeches.

"Where to start?" Naruto asked himself aloud. "Oh! I have a boyfriend!" Miki's eyebrows shot up. "Remember that Sasuke guy I told you about?"

"The one who came to visit you?" Miki recalled. It was very interesting that night when Naruto came in and told him about some teme who kissed him and confessed his feelings. It was all the more interesting that Naruto had shot him just a few weeks prior.

"That's the one!" Naruto exclaimed. "I had started dating Hinata after I left here, but after a while, I started to realize I had feelings for Sasuke instead. But since he's friends with Hinata and her cousin, we've decided to keep it a secret."

"Why do you need to talk to me about that?" Miki asked, slightly confused as to why Dr. Kishimoto couldn't deal with that problem. Naruto, as he'd done just a few minutes earlier at the lounge, rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, ever since then, I've been having these dreams," Naruto said. "They're really more like nightmares. Every night, I relive what my father did to me." Miki immediately changed expressions, going from a casual expression to a more somber one. "And last night, Sasuke and I had a very…emotional talk about it. And by the end…"

Naruto trailed off, not wanting to admit what happened. He looked up and saw his father standing casually by Dr. Kishimoto's desk. Naruto gulped and closed his eyes. He now realized why Dr. Kishimoto thought speaking to Miki was going to be helpful.

"Do you still see your parents?" Naruto asked, shocking Miki.

"Your trains of thought are sometimes really random," Miki observed. "But yes, I still see them."

"Do they still tell you to…" Naruto began, trailing off in the middle.

"Kill myself?" Miki asked. "Yes."

"W-What do you do?" Naruto asked. Miki sighed and situated himself into his chair. "Ever since last night, I keep seeing Kyuubi as a ghost. And he keeps haunting me, calling me names and telling me about how disappointed he is that I'm gay. And…it's just hard. It was one thing when it happened in a dream, because then I could escape it. But now he's with me constantly. At least before I could wake up and try to forget about it."

"I used to try to do what my parents told me," Miki said. "But now, I just ignore them." Naruto sat back, kind of shocked.

"How can you ignore them if they're always there?" Naruto asked.

"Because I now see someone else there that tells me that I shouldn't kill myself," Miki said. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise – in all the years since his parents' deaths, Miki only ever saw his parents. Who could have influenced Miki that much in the last few months to change that? As if reading my mind, Miki answered: "It's you, Naruto."

Naruto was speechless. He didn't think he understood Miki at first, but he saw the slight coloration on Miki's face, and he felt a bubbling in his stomach. He actually made so much in a difference in this person's life that he was now speaking, opening himself up to the world? He was now the only thing that was keeping Miki from continuing to end his own life? Naruto couldn't describe the feeling he was experiencing.

"Be honest with him," Miki said. "You're probably scared that you're going crazy, but you need someone to tell you that you're a great person, whether you're gay, straight or bi. If you let him know, then it might not drive you to the brink of insanity. If I had you to show me that I was worth something back when I was a child, I never would have ended up in here."

Naruto was stunned, for a few reasons. He was still getting over the fact that he made such an impact on Miki, but he was even more shocked that so many words came out of the boy's mouth. He'd never heard such a string of words out of the teen in front of him.

At the same time, he was relieved. He _did_ think he was going crazy, but what Miki said made sense. Naruto hadn't held anything back from Sasuke, and it wasn't a good idea to start now. After all, Naruto could clearly picture telling Sasuke whenever Kyuubi said something that was truly awful and then being comforted by him. At the same time, he could picture himself growing increasingly paranoid about seeing Kyuubi and keeping it inside of him, which would just lead him back to his old room. And quite frankly, he didn't want to share a room with Chibuku ever again if he could avoid it.

"Thanks," Naruto said as he stood up. "I think I will."

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	27. Thanksgiving

**Disclaimer: Let's get this straight, Masashi: the only person allowed to own Naruto is Sasuke. And that's final.**

**This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Thanksgiving

Secrets: things that are done or learned without the knowledge of others. It is something kept hidden or concealed from other people. Secrets are the most powerful things that exist. They can be used for blackmail or bribes. They can be exploited to destroy entire relationships, even families. One's whole life can be flipped upside down by secrets.

We all tell them. Whether it's something as basic as not telling your mother that you took the last cookie from the cookie jar or as lifechanging as not telling your spouse that you are cheating on them with their sister, everyone has some experience with secrets. You can keep them, make them, and tell them. You can use them to fit your advantage at times, and at others they can act as your biggest folly.

Thanksgiving this year was an especially big day of secrets. One person told their deepest secret to an intimate family member, while across town, the wrong person overheard the confession of an unrelated secret. And, despite both of these incredible secrets, none of the residents of this busy city knew that an even larger, darker secret was on the horizon, and when this secret was revealed, lives would be irreversibly changed.

Yes, secrets are powerful. They can create just as easily as they can destroy. No one is free from the burden of secrets, and oftentimes, these secrets spark a chain reaction that can destroy life as you know it. These were the lessons that a certain few residents of the city of Konoha, a descent sized city in New England, were about to learn.

* * *

The rest of the week flew by, and Naruto didn't really find a good chance to talk to Sasuke about seeing Kyuubi. But, thankfully, Kyuubi hadn't been plaguing him as often. In fact, he was so busy with getting Thanksgiving set up that he didn't have time to stress about the issues that he apparently had with his sexuality. But now, as he was helping his adoptive father set up Thanksgiving dinner, he was reminded about his dilemma.

Apparently, he had yet to truly accept his bisexuality, which was perfectly understandable in his mind. Kyuubi wasn't too far off when he said that what he did would be a huge roadblock in Naruto's discovery of who he is – the fact that it took so long to admit his feelings to himself was proof of that. But in just a few hours, he was going to be sharing dinner with the closest people to him.

Thanksgiving at the Yamanaka house wasn't a large, extravagant meal. There weren't a lot of people over, so they didn't go too overboard with the food. Just a simple turkey, some stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce was enough for them (along with pumpkin pie, of course). But still, the intimate setting was reminding Naruto of the thoughts he'd been thinking since his visit with Dr. Kishimoto and Miki.

He needed to tell somebody. Sure, Kiba knew, but it wasn't exactly comforting knowing that his only friend who knew wasn't exactly happy about it. He didn't want to let too many people know, lest the details get out to Neji or Hinata, or anyone else for that matter. But at the same time, he was going to be spending hours with people who he knew, loved and trusted. He could easily tell them over Thanksgiving dinner, after extracting a promise to never reveal anything to anyone.

Tsunade and Jiraya – his godparents – would most likely be accepting. It was really hard to think that anything else was possible. After all, when he had pretended to date Sasuke, Jiraya had teased him, but only in a jesting way. He wasn't disgusted. And Tsunade loved him far too much. They had a rapport that would imply a rocky relationship (he calls her Granny, she calls him brat, he makes a remark about age or ugliness, and she whacks him upside the head), they were always close. After all, they were the only small connection he had left to his mother.

Then there was Inoichi, the man who had selflessly taken him in. Inoichi had insisted on being more than just Naruto's foster father, clothing him and feeding him until someone came to adopt him. Inoichi immediately accepted Naruto into the family, even after knowing his history with abuse. Inoichi was truly a father to Naruto. Even though associating with Naruto wasn't exactly safe for his family (could you imagine if Ino had gone home before Naruto the night of the rape? Naruto shuddered thinking about that), Inoichi had no qualms about it.

Then there was Ino. His first true friend, and the one that he knew he could confide in the easiest. Even though she was close friends with Sakura, Hinata and Neji now, he didn't question that her allegiance was to him. She'd be happy if he told her about Sasuke, and she wouldn't open her mouth. Well, maybe she'd tell Shikamaru (who she, for some reason, invited over for Thanksgiving), but really, who was Shikamaru going to tell? His closest friend was Ino, and after that was Kiba and Naruto. Besides, the brunet would probably think gossip is too troublesome, which it is.

It all made sense logically. He pictured it in his head a thousand times. He would spill the beans after the turkey, before the pie, and the room would go quiet. Then Jiraya would make a perverted joke or Ino would squeal in delight, and everyone would congratulate him on his discovery of his sexuality. There would possibly be some teasing, and he might end up spilling the beans about Sasuke in the same breath, but he knew that nothing bad would come of coming out right now.

So why was this so hard?

He'd told himself he was getting ready for that moment. He wanted to be upfront with his family and friends. There was no reason not to, but he still couldn't muster the courage to do it. He'd rehearsed it in front of the mirror dozens of times, and every time it sounded positively ridiculous.

"Hey, I'm Naruto and I'm gay." Why would he say his name? They were his family, of course they knew his name!

"So I was thinking the other day, and I'm bi now." Wow, that was somehow worse. And you really had to try to be worse than the last one.

"Who has two thumbs and likes dudes? This guy." Naruto wished he could kick the shit out of himself for coming up with something so bad.

No matter how many times he practiced in the mirror that week, it just got harder and harder. He was seriously doubting himself here, and a part of him just wanted to give up. Sasuke could take some of those millions he got from his parents and his uncle and move them to the middle of Kansas, or maybe Alaska. Somewhere where there were no outside people to get in the way.

Naruto was still so wrapped in thought over this issue that he didn't pay attention to his task at hand. He didn't notice as the water he was pouring from a pitcher into a glass was starting to overflow and flood the tablecloth. Muttering a curse, Naruto stopped pouring and set the pitcher down, turning to gather napkins.

"Are you okay?" Inoichi asked as he finished with the pumpkin pie. "You've been acting a bit…scattered today." Naruto froze, wondering if he was really making it that obvious. He didn't want to be put in a position where he had to tell the truth because he couldn't act normal.

"I'm fine," Naruto said quickly, not wanting to worry Inoichi. After all, this was a holiday. There was no need to stress him out. Then again… "Hey, Inoichi," he said, taking the blond man's attention from the whipped cream he was garnishing the pie with. "You know I think of you as my father, not just the person who adopted me, right?" Inoichi, sensing the tone in Naruto's voice, put the whipped cream down and turned to the other blond.

"Of course," Inoichi said, not even missing a beat. "Just like you're the son I never had." Naruto looked down, hiding a small smile at what his father said. Inoichi, noticing his body language, decided to press further. "Are you sure you're okay?" Inoichi asked. "There's nothing you want to tell me?"

Naruto bit his bottom lip, debating. This was it – it was either the moment he was going to come out of the closet to his father, or it was the moment he was going to decide to keep it all a secret. Somehow, he knew that the second option was out of the question, but he still couldn't open his mouth to respond. It was still too much too soon. Maybe he wasn't ready for this step. Maybe Dr. Kishimoto was right – maybe he wasn't ready to fully come to terms with his sexuality.

Inoichi, sensing the hesitation from Naruto, decided to analyze his son's uncertainty. After all, he _did_ minor in psychology in his university years. Naruto obviously had a problem talking about whatever it was, but he knew exactly what was going on – that much was clear. Naruto had an answer for Inoichi, but he wasn't exactly sure whether or not he would be able to accurately guess what it was. He needed to get the blond to open up. That was why Inoichi turned from Naruto, who was continuing the inner war in his mind, and pulled out two champagne flutes and a bottle of champagne, pouring some into each of the glasses. He picked them each up and walked back to Naruto, who was watching in curiosity.

"There's a slight tradition in the Yamanaka family," Inoichi said as he handed Naruto one of the flutes. "Back when we all lived in the country, the entire family would get together for Thanksgiving. There were dozens of us – aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, parents, children, everyone. All the men would sit out back and drink some beer while toasting to good fortune, while the women would prepare the meal. The kids were busy playing with each other out in the fields.

"After I moved Ino and her mother, Diana, to the city, I decided that we would continue the tradition when we had kids. We planned on having a son and a daughter – our daughter would help in the kitchen while our son would join me for a celebratory drink. Unfortunately, as you know, Diana died just a few months after Ino was born." Naruto nodded, having remembered hearing the story years ago. "Well, I don't see why I should give up on that dream just because you came into the family a little late."

"Aren't you not supposed to give me alcohol?" Naruto asked questioningly. "You could get in trouble for that."

"I doubt you're ratting me out," Inoichi said. "Besides, all these laws are doing no good. I think it's better that you drink around me and then I can monitor you and make sure you don't drive or anything. The way these laws are, you kids are forced to drink in secret, and that causes more accidents. I swear, back in my day…" he thought for a second and realized he was ranting. He shook his head, choosing not to get into a discussion about political/social issues. "Anyway, I thought we'd toast to everything we have to be thankful for."

Naruto smiled, the gesture being fully appreciated on his part. Even though he knew he was part of a family, knowing he had filled a gap in Inoichi's life meant something totally different. He was 'the son he never had'.

"Here's to good health, mental and physical," Inoichi said, Naruto almost snorting when he received a pointed look from his father when he said 'mental'. They both clinked glasses and took a sip of the bubbly liquid.

"Here's to family and friends," Naruto said. "I've made so many new connections this past year that I never want to give up." They clinked glasses once more before they took another sip. Soon, after a few more toasts, they had finished the glasses and decided to go back to preparing the kitchen. It wasn't long before they heard the door open and Ino poke her head into the kitchen.

"Shikamaru and I are here," she said as she moved and took a cookie from the cookie jar. "We still have a huge exam on Monday, so we're going to go upstairs and study."

"Yeah, 'study'," Naruto muttered as he helped set the table, earning a smack from his sister. "Ow, that hurt!"

"Just leave your bedroom door open," Inoichi said as he finished decorating the pie and placed it into the fridge to preserve it. Ino sighed in exasperation before leaving and going upstairs. The two blond men in the kitchen heard the footsteps up the stairs, and the door being shut very loudly. Both Inoichi and Naruto rolled their eyes. They knew Ino well enough to know she wasn't planning on playing 'rub the snake' with Shikamaru, she just wanted to make a point to Inoichi.

Inoichi continued with the task at hand when Naruto decided to speak up. "Y-You know how before, you asked if I was okay, and if I wanted to tell you something?" Inoichi looked up from the plate in front of him and looked at Naruto with a face that clearly said 'go on'. "I think I might be bi." Naruto was shocked when Inoichi looked back at the plate in front of him that he was washing in the sink calmly.

"That's fine," Inoichi said simply. He hadn't wanted to make too big of a deal of it for Naruto's sake. Knowing what he's been through, Inoichi knew it had to have been a hard realization to come to, and an even harder admission to share. "It doesn't really matter," he said, making sure that Naruto understood.

But Naruto didn't understand. He just confessed his inner most secret – something that had been plaguing him mentally and emotionally for weeks now – and Inoichi responded as if he said 'hey, Dad, I'm going out to the movies tonight'. How could he do that? It wasn't just some little thing to be brushed aside. It was a big fucking deal!

"That's fine?" Naruto repeated, trying not to sound angry or upset. But Inoichi did hear the tone in the blonde's face that suggested he was less than enthused with the response. He paused in washing the dish to look at Naruto again. "It doesn't matter?" Naruto asked, his voice slightly rising. "How can that not matter! It's huge! Of course it matters!"

"That's not what I meant," Inoichi said, sighing. For someone pretty smart, he sure had a hard time speaking without putting his foot in his mouth. "Of course it's a big deal for you. And I'm happy for you. But it doesn't matter to me. I'd love you just the same whether you're gay, straight, bi or transgendered. It doesn't matter whether I'll be welcoming in a daughter-in-law or a son-in-law in however many years it takes for you to find someone you love. As long as you're happy."

Naruto tried to hold back his tears at what his father said. He had been making such a huge deal out of it that he was going crazy just thinking about it (literally). But like he'd predicted, Inoichi didn't care. And it was such a relief having said it. In fact, it seemed his mouth didn't want to stop.

"I'm also with Sasuke," Naruto said, noting the shocked look that crossed Inoichi's face for a brief second before it was replaced by a look realization.

"So that's why you broke up with Hinata," Inoichi said in understanding. "Jeez, my son is already living with his boyfriend. Now I'm feeling really old." He paused for a moment. "You two never…"

"No!" Naruto exclaimed quickly. "God, no! And we're done talking if my nonexistent sex life is going to be the new topic of conversation." Before Inoichi could respond, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of Tsunade, Jiraya and Orochimaru. While Naruto didn't like Orochimaru – at all, the guy seemed like the creepiest perv on the planet – he did want to spend the holiday with Tsunade and Jiraya. The two were immediately accepted into the family by Ino and Inoichi along with Naruto, and the only reason Orochimaru was there to begin with was because Jiraya and Tsunade couldn't fathom leaving their brother to be alone on Thanksgiving. It was much more rewarding to do that on Christmas. Just kidding, of course.

As the three entered the house, Ino and Shikamaru were coming down the stairs, and soon the holiday meal began.

* * *

It had been a rough couple of days for one Hyuga Hinata. All of a sudden, she started to feel sick and queasy at the beginning of the week, but it wasn't constant. She'd throw up once or twice, but be fine the rest of the day. That, along with the fact that she didn't have a fever, made whatever bug she'd gotten unusual, which is why she decided to see her doctor. But nothing could have prepared her for what actually happened at the office.

_After what felt like forever in the waiting room, the nurse finally told Hinata that the doctor was ready to see her. She led the sick girl down a couple of hallways to an empty room, ushering her inside. She then placed Hinata's chart outside the door for the doctor and asked Hinata to wait longer. She didn't understand why she had to wait. She saw the waiting room – there was no one else here. She wanted this over with so she could go back to bed. She was exhausted._

_Suddenly, she was hit with the urge to go to the bathroom. Promising to make it quick, she walked down the hall to the bathroom and did her business before returning. She pulled out her phone and started playing Solitaire waiting for the doctor. When that became boring, she pulled out her iPod. But as she was untangling the headphones, the doctor stepped inside._

"_Hello Hinata, how are you today?" he asked nicely._

"_I'm a little sick," Hinata said, as if it wasn't obvious. I mean, why else would someone wait nearly an hour to see a doctor unless it was pretty urgent. "I've been nauseous the last few days." The doctor nodded and pulled out the blood pressure cuff, giving it to Hinata to wrap around her arm._

"_Any other symptoms?" the doctor asked as he placed the stethoscope beneath the fabric of the now tight cuff that was slowly losing air._

"_I've been really tired," she said, trying to think what else was wrong. "I was a little dizzy the other day, and I had an awful cramp yesterday." The doctor, satisfied with the blood pressure reading, released the air from the cuff and removed it from Hinata's upper arm, before shining a light to check her eyes._

"_Follow my fingers," he said, moving them to the left, right, down, up, and towards her nose. She then obliged when he asked her to open her mouth and say "aah". "And you're 19, correct?" Hinata nodded at the question. "Are you sexually active?" Immediately, Hinata grew a few shades redder, but silently nodded nonetheless. "Do you use protection?" Again, the doctor received a nod from someone resembling more a tomato than a person. "When was the last time you had sexual intercourse?" he asked her._

"_N-November 1__st__," she answered quickly. "B-But we used a condom."_

"_Condoms aren't 100% effective," the doctor said, causing Hinata's heart to thump loudly in her chest. Did he think she was pregnant? Could she be pregnant? Her life would be over! How could this happen to her? That entire night was a mistake! But they did everything they were supposed to. They used a condom. Sure, she wasn't on the pill, but she didn't honestly expect to have sex until she was married. How would Neji react? How would Suigetsu react? How would her father react?_

_Would she even keep the baby? There were so many options. She could just get rid of the problem. She was legally an adult now, and although she still relied financially on her father, he never had to know. But she didn't really want that, did she? Abortion was irreversible. Maybe she could give the baby up for adoption. She was sure someone would love to adopt a child. But then it would be insanely hard to hide from her family._

_She took a deep breath and told herself to come down. She was mentally crossing bridges that she wasn't even sure would be in her path. It would be better to wait and see if she was pregnant or if it was, in fact, some rare disease. Was it bad that she couldn't decide which was worse?_

"_Are your breasts tender?" the doctor said. Well, now that he mentioned it, there was a slight tenderness to them. She nodded. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? "Have you had to urinate excessively?" Actually, she did. She already went to the bathroom three times today, and it wasn't noon yet. She nodded once more. "Have you been craving any foods that you hadn't been before you got sick?" No, not really. That had to be a good sign! All the movies and TV shows talked about cravings! She shook her head. "Any mood swings?" Constipation?" Nope and nope! That was good, too. Maybe she wasn't pregnant after all. "I'm going to take some blood and run a few tests. We'll have the results in a few days. If you want, I'll call you when I have them in."_

_Hinata nodded. "Please do," she said. After he drew her blood, she left the office, never being so relieved. She didn't really seem to be exhibiting that many of the symptoms. It was probably just some virus or bacteria or something. Some antibiotics would probably fix her right up. After all, what was the chance that she'd be the 1% of people who got pregnant with a condom?_

That was four days ago. But now, it was Thursday – Thanksgiving to more exact. Even since she was a kid, Thanksgiving became a huge extravaganza for the Hyuga family. Her father, Hiashi, was the head of Hyuga Corp, a multi-billion dollar conglomerate. Thanksgiving was the holiday that Hiashi threw a huge feast, inviting all of his business associates, clients, friends and their families. Their entire family showed up too – all 46 of them. Then there were the friends that Hinata and Neji got to invite over. She invited Sakura and Naruto (but she invited him before the break up, so he probably wasn't going to show up), while Neji invited Kiba. Kiba was only really invited because Gaara was stopping by for dessert along with Sasuke, however. And then…

Hinata paled when she realized who else Neji had invited. Halfway through October was when they had to finalize their guest plans for who they were inviting, as it took about a month to get everything set up for the extravagant affair. Of course, this was before the night of November 1st, the night that Naruto broke up with her, and the night she had drunken sex with Suigetsu. So when Neji suggested inviting Suigetsu because he was Sasuke's friend and Gaara's roommate, Hinata had no problem. Suigetsu hadn't had a reason not to be invited. But now, Hinata was panicking.

And it didn't help that the doctor got the results from the blood test the day before.

"_Congratulations, Miss Hyuga," the doctor had said over the phone. "You're expecting. I realize it's close to the holiday and all, but when Thanksgiving is over, you can call and I will get you the name of a wonderful OB/gyn…" he had continued on, but Hinata froze, not listening to what the man said. She was…pregnant? With the child of Hoshigaki Suigetsu? There had to be some mistake somewhere. Karma probably fucked up again…Hinata _was _always hearing about what a bitch she was. But she didn't do anything to deserve bad karma, did she?_

So now she had to deal with the father of her child at her family's party on top of everything else. That was reassuring. Hinata finished dressing in her dress, looking at herself sadly in the mirror. In a few months, she wouldn't fit into this dress. She might never fit into it again – some people lost their figures permanently after a pregnancy. That thought wasn't reassuring.

After a few minutes of panicking (which was very reasonable, she assured herself), she made her way downstairs, and saw that many of the guests had already arrived. There was a lot of chatter. People were wearing suits, ties, dresses, nice sweaters, and other fancy clothing. After all, this was the biggest event of the year every year in the business world. Anyone who was anyone was here, and it looked like the fun had already started, because as Hinata walked down the stairs, she caught sight of Neji, Kiba, Sakura and…Suigetsu. Jeez, the only thing that would make this more awkward would be if Naruto actually showed up.

* * *

Thanksgiving at the Uchiha mansion was never really extravagant since Mikoto and Fugaku's deaths. Kakashi had always been there, but he wasn't a cook, nor were Itachi or Sasuke. That's why every year, they had supermarket stuffing, deli turkey, and store-bought pumpkin pie. It was nothing special, but Kakashi insisted on doing it every year. If it were up to the two Uchiha, they'd just as soon forget. But Kakashi wanted to make sure that they remembered to be thankful for what they had. After all, they spent all the other days of the year thinking about the things they'd lost.

It was a rough year for the family. Sasuke had been shot and nearly died. Then Madara had killed himself. Sasuke spent almost two months buried in a bottle of alcohol, too. Itachi had a rough go of things, too, but nowhere near as bad as Sasuke. He had a few problems with a professor at the university last semester, but that was resolved quickly. All in all, it was Sasuke who faced the brunt of the bad luck of the Uchiha family.

It was only four of them – Gaara, Sasuke, Itachi and Kakashi. And like usual, most of the meal was eaten in silence. As much as Kakashi wished for it to be a day to be thankful for what they had, Sasuke and Itachi couldn't help but brood. It was a family holiday, and they were still without the two most important people in their family. Not to mention the fact that it was the start of the holiday season, and the holiday season meant even more reminders about their parents. Oh, and did anyone even have to mention that their parents died on December 1st, which was only days away?

It was always a bad time for the Uchiha family, but that made it all the more important to celebrate, in Kakashi's mind. Itachi and Sasuke were prone to brooding, and the last thing he needed was to have to deal with 2 depressed teenagers for a month until the holiday season was over and life resumed. The silence between the four of them was quickly getting to Kakashi, who decided it was time to speak up.

"So, how was everyone's day?" Kakashi asked, hoping that it would spark some conversation. The clanking of silverware on plates stopped momentarily, and the three other people at the table looked at him. Itachi spared him the one brief glance before continuing to eat, setting the tone for the responses to follow.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted noncommittally before he resumed eating. Kakashi expected the most vocal response from Gaara, who had probably also been feeling the tense silence that was upon them.

"Fine," he said. Kakashi sighed. Well, at least he got a word out of him.

"I know that neither of you really enjoy the holiday, but I think we should all take some time to be thankful for what we have," Kakashi said. The statement itself was enough for Sasuke to push away his fork, which clanged loudly against his plate in the silence. Without a word, he pushed his chair out and left the dining room, eliciting a sigh from Kakashi.

"I'll go get him," Gaara said, sounding as if it was an obligation that he didn't particularly want to do, before pushing his own chair out and getting up to follow Sasuke. Kakashi waited for the redhead to leave the room before turning to Itachi.

"I think we should have a party," Kakashi said, hoping to get Itachi to respond to him. Itachi looked up, showing Kakashi that he was listening, but he still didn't say anything. "You know, we never really gave Sasuke an 18th birthday party, because he was in the hospital during his birthday. Maybe we should get his friends together and have a party in a few days."

"What are you trying to prove?" Itachi asked, a slight bitterness in his voice. Kakashi sighed, the cheerful façade fading, only to be replaced by a serious expression.

"Are you two going to do this forever?" Kakashi asked. "Because spending a month every year – a whole twelfth of your life – living in the past and brooding isn't healthy for either of you. I'm not saying you have to get over their deaths or forget about them, but you can't just let yourself fall apart for a month every year.

"I know you guys, Itachi," Kakashi continued when he saw Itachi was about to interrupt and argue. "You two look fine on the outside, but inside, you're emotional messes."

"And you think a party is a way to change that?" Itachi asked, his voice practically yelling. "That's…" he trailed off, trying to think of the right word. "Stupid!"

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Kakashi asked, not missing a beat. "I won't just sit back and watch you two do this anymore. It was one thing when you were still kids, but enough is enough. It's been 11 years, and I think that moping around isn't a good outlet for your issues."

"And you're a therapist all of a sudden?" Itachi snapped, surprising Kakashi. The eldest Uchiha brother was generally the most composed, but this conversation was bringing out the defensive side of him. "I know that it's not exactly healthy for us to do this every year, but if it helps us deal with losing our parents, then just let it happen."

Kakashi sighed. This was totally not going as planned. He expected some opposition from Itachi when it came to trying to help them move forward, but he didn't expect downright refusal. He sat back in his chair, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Fine, we won't have a party," he conceded, not wanting to anger the Uchiha further. "But I won't just 'let it happen'. We're going to find some way to make this year's holiday season great for you two, even if I have to drag you down to the mall and plop you on Santa's lap myself!"

"Hn," was Itachi's expressive reply. Kakashi smirked and took that to mean an agreement. Finally, Mission: Happy Holidays would commence. Now that he had Itachi at least going along with it, even if not enthused about the idea of actually getting past the awful emotions that ran rampant this time of year, it was time to work on Sasuke. Hopefully Gaara was making some progress with him.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Gaara finally managed to find Sasuke. Of course, his first assumption was that the raven had retreated to his room, but it turned out Gaara was wrong. He wondered briefly if Sasuke was just using the bathroom, but he shook his head. The way Sasuke left the table showed that he was distressed about something. Taking a wild guess, he climbed the second staircase to the third floor of the manor.

The third floor held relatively few rooms, and was rarely used. It only sat atop the central area of the manor, not stretching to cover the West Wing or the East Wing. Yeah, the mansion had two _wings_. The only thing that had received any use at all in the last decade was the sauna, which was right across from the room that Gaara assumed Sasuke might have gone to – the master bedroom of the manor, his parents' room.

When Gaara found him, Sasuke was laying on his back on the luxurious bed, staring up at the ceiling. The first thing Gaara noticed was all the dust that had gathered. The two brothers never went in there, and Gaara assumed it was untouched since Mikoto and Fugaku died. It wasn't too much of a stretch to believe that, especially when one considers that despite being able to live with their deaths, neither Sasuke nor Itachi actually got past it.

"Go away," Sasuke said, realizing that Gaara was standing in the doorway. Gaara hesitated before entering the room, sitting on the edge of the circular bed. Sasuke, upset that the redhead didn't listen to him, rolled over on his stomach and laid his head on the pillows.

"Kakashi's right you know," Gaara said simply, earning a scowl from the Uchiha. Not that he could see it, of course…he did have his head stuffed in the pillow. Taking the silence as his cue to continue, Gaara elaborated. "You especially have a lot to be thankful for. You're done drinking, you're finally with Naruto, and even though you're in your annual holiday mood, you're also the happiest I've seen you in a long while."

"I've also been responsible for two deaths in the last year, not to mention being responsible for Naruto's rape," Sasuke said, taking his time to lift his face from the pillow before dropping it once more.

"No one blames you for any of that," Gaara said after sighing in exasperation. "You weren't the sole reason Madara killed himself – he has been carrying around guilt for years. As for Naruto, as bad as it is to say, it was going to happen eventually." Sasuke, surprised by Gaara's words, turned over and sat up, sending the redhead a questioning glance.

"How can you say that?" he asked, slightly horrified by what Gaara said. In response, Gaara shrugged.

"If Naruto's gay or bi, he would have figured it out eventually," he explained. "And then, Kyuubi would show up and do what he did then. Maybe you made it happen faster, but if Kyuubi was really that set against Naruto being attracted to guys, then it would have happened eventually."

Sasuke was quiet for a long moment. Was that really true? It sounded like it made sense, but he couldn't believe that Kyuubi raping Naruto was an inevitability. That's ridiculous, right! But still, Kyuubi had been watching Naruto for who knows how long…if Naruto ever decided to experiment with his sexuality, Kyuubi would have found out. And if Naruto ever came out, then that could push Kyuubi to…

"But I _killed_ him," Sasuke said. "I picked up that gun and I pointed it at Kyuubi's head and pulled the trigger. There's no way to spin it so it isn't my fault!" Gaara inwardly scoffed – that was Sasuke's weakest point. It was like he was searching for things he could blame himself for now.

"You were protecting Naruto," Gaara said simply. "Anyone would have done the same thing. I know you feel incredibly guilty because of everything, but you're the only one who blames you for any of that. Just let go of your guilt."

"How?" Sasuke asked. "You have no idea what I've been through – no one does. How can you expect me to let go of it if you can't understand it?"

"Have you been going to that therapist you promised to go to after the intervention?" Gaara asked, sending Sasuke a pointed look. At the look, Sasuke averted his gaze.

"I saw him a couple of days after the intervention," Sasuke said, not looking at the redhead. "He was the one who told me to talk with Madara. And we know how that ended up."

"Give it another try," Gaara said. "Right now, let's just go to Neji's for dessert, and then tomorrow you can go see your therapist again and maybe it'll help." Sasuke took a deep breath and nodded before standing up. Taking the cue from his friend, Gaara stood up and walked out of the room. Sasuke followed him, stopping momentarily to look back in the abandoned bedroom before closing the door behind him.

* * *

By the end of the night, Hyuga Hinata would say that this Thanksgiving was one of the most interesting and eventful events she'd been to in her life; but right now, Hinata was dying of stress. Throughout the entire meal, she was forced to be in close quarters with Suigetsu, while holding the secret that she was carrying his child. Gah, it didn't even sound _right_.

Neji had spent the entire time before the meal being introduced to all of Hiashi's business partners in preparation for taking an active role in the family company after schooling. Of course, Hinata wasn't expected to join Hyuga Corp. She had a place there if she wanted, but the only people required to take part in the company were Neji and her brother, Hanabi. Oh, and her future husband, but that wasn't much of a concern. Especially with the whole Suigetsu situation going on right now.

How would her father react? Hinata had no doubt that he loved her, but he was a man very based in tradition and in image. How would he react to knowing his teenage daughter was expecting a child? Premarital sex was bad enough to him, but _pregnancy_? She shuddered at the thought.

It wasn't like it was anyone's fault! She and Suigetsu used a condom…at least, she think they did. She wasn't exactly in the right state of mind that night, so it wouldn't surprise her so much if she'd forgotten, but Suigetsu had to remember – he didn't drink at all, and if he didn't use a rubber any time he'd have sex, he'd probably be a father about ten times already. Or at least, according to Gaara.

Thinking about it was so stressful to her that she could barely eat, which made her stomach growl. She hadn't yet made any decisions about the baby, but she knew she had to feed it, in case she wanted to keep it, or even have it. No, she had still not figured out whether she was going to go through with the pregnancy. As an adult, it wouldn't be hard to just get rid of the problem altogether – she wouldn't _have_ to find out how her father would react (let alone Neji or Suigetsu). But still, her moral conscience couldn't let her go through with it. Even though she was still entertaining the thought, she knew deep down that she didn't have the heart to go through with it.

Which left two options: adoption or keeping the baby. If there was one lesson she'd learned from watching Juno, it was that adoption would be hard. And if she kept the baby, it would be even harder. She was a single college student. Sure she had a lot of money, but who knows how long that would last? Her father might kick her out and cut her off. She could lose everything because she made a stupid mistake.

"Hinata?" Kiba asked from across the table. The small chatter from around her died as all people looked at her. She was usually the quiet one, but she realized she must have been overly quiet. She wasn't even paying attention to the conversation. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine," she said dismissively before returning to eat her stuffing. After all, regardless of her end decision about the baby, she _was_ eating for two at the moment.

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked, concern etched on her face. "You look kinda pale." Before Hinata could dissuade her fears, Sakura pressed the back of her hand to Hinata's forehead to check for a temperature.

"Are you still sick?" Neji asked. "What did the doctor say?" Hinata was about to open her mouth to dismiss Neji's question with some concocted lie, but Suigetsu interrupted before she could start speaking.

"Sick?" he asked. Neji and Sakura nodded.

"I-I was a little sick before, but he said it was just a virus," Hinata said nervously, hoping to end the conversation there. Apparently, luck was on her side, because the waiters took that moment to show up to start collecting the dirty plates, and by the time they left, everyone forgot all about the conversation and began talking about something else.

A few minutes later, Neji was forced once again to leave and interact with all the businesspeople. On Thanksgiving, the meal was extremely social, but the dessert was only attended by friends and family, meaning most of the hundreds of people who attended were leaving. During that time, Sasuke and Gaara arrived, along with Tenten, who had come to Konoha for Thanksgiving with her family. But even all her friends here couldn't really cheer her up. Because no matter how many people showed up, she'd still be the pregnant teenager by the end of the night – the girl who had anything she could want and somehow managed to fuck even that up.

After the guests most of the guests had already left, dessert was served in the kitchen, where Hiashi toasted to good health and to family. Hinata felt sick to her stomach, and she knew it wasn't the morning sickness at the moment.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sakura asked, surprising the dark haired girl. She could tell that Sakura knew something was up, and she was now in a bind. She didn't really want to lie about it, but she didn't want to tell anyone else either. If she told people, then it would be real. She'd really be pregnant with Suigetsu's child.

As that thought crossed through her mind, she realized that it _was_ real. She was pregnant. There was a life inside her. A baby. She was having a baby in less than a year. Her entire life was going to change. She felt a panic attack coming on, which wasn't exactly assuaging Sakura's concerns. Without another word, Sakura pulled Hinata by the wrist and brought her to the living room, both of them sitting down on the couch.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked, her eyes still full of the same concern they carried earlier. "I know something's up with you Hinata; you've been acting weirdly all night. You can tell me." Again, Hinata waged a mental battle in her head – should she tell Sakura or not? "I promise, I won't tell anyone. Not Neji, not your father, not Sasuke or Gaara, no one."

"I-I'm pregnant," Hinata blurted out, shocking Sakura into silence. The pinkette's eyes went wide as she processed the information. Hinata could see the emotions and thoughts flying through Sakura's mind, and she was reminded of how bipolar her own emotions had been in the last day. Although part of that could be attributed to her hormones, she guessed.

"H-How?" Sakura asked, mentally applauding herself that she was even able to speak after such a surprise being dropped on her lap.

"It was the night after the Halloween party," Hinata explained, not looking Sakura in the eye. "Naruto broke up with me, and I went to Sasuke to ask how he got over losing Naruto." She briefly looked up at Sakura, who urged her with her eyes to continue. "He reminded me that he spent a month or so getting drunk, and he told me not to, but I didn't listen. I went to Mangekyou, and got drunk. The next thing that happened…"

"W-Who?" Sakura asked, sending shivers down Hinata's spine. This was it – the moment that it became real. Would Suigetsu even believe it? She probably wouldn't if she was him – they used a condom! The only reason it could be him is because he's the only one she's ever slept with!

"H-He found me there," Hinata said, not naming names. "He brought me back to my room – Ayame was home that weekend, so I had the room to myself." Sakura was silent, still waiting to hear the name. "It wasn't even his fault, really…I was the one who came on to him, and he even used a condom! It just didn't work."

"Who?" Sakura repeated, as Hinata took a shaky breath, steadying herself. This was it. It was really it. She was about to put all her secrets out there, and she might be up shit's creek without a paddle.

"S-Suigetsu," Hinata whispered. Sakura wasted no time pulling the Hyuga girl into a hug, but they both pulled apart when they heard a noise from the hallway. They looked to the doorway and saw Neji standing there. In that moment, Hinata's heart clenched, and she looked at her cousin, pleading silently for him to not reject her. But before she could say anything, he turned and walked back towards the other guests.

Wasting no time, Sakura and Hinata stood up and followed him, wondering what he was going to do with the newfound information.

Neji was in such shock upon hearing this. Suigetsu – who he, Sasuke and Gaara had taken in as a friend – had taken advantage of Hinata like that? And he left her…pregnant? He couldn't pick an adjective to describe the rage that bubbled inside of him. It was bubbling in his stomach, making his vision go red as he slowly lost control of himself.

He walked into the party again and saw people laughing. Suigetsu was laughing. How could he laugh after what he did to Hinata? He stole her virginity when she was _vulnerable_. He…he knocked her up! And here he was, in her home with her family, laughing it up with everyone. Neji wasn't even in control of his actions when he felt himself shove Suigetsu forcefully, shocking the teen and the other people there.

Another shove, and then a punch to the eye. It was about then that he felt Kiba and Sasuke pull him back as Gaara helped Suigetsu stand up again. The room had gone silent except for Sakura's screaming. Hinata was quiet in fear about what was about to unfold. It was a trainwreck, and she couldn't stop it.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Suigetsu asked as he held his eye. Suddenly, Neji lost the semblance of control he regained, lunging at the boy before Kiba and Sasuke pulled him back again. Somehow, the knowledge of what that manwhore had done to Hinata made him lose all control. He couldn't remember a time when he didn't plan out his actions carefully, anticipating all the consequences. Right now, however, he didn't care.

"How dare you!" Neji yelled. Well, if anyone's attention wasn't solely focused on the event going on right there, then they were now. "You have the nerve to come in here and ask me what's wrong with _me_? You took advantage of her!" Suddenly, realization showed itself in Suigetsu's eyes, and that itself made Neji want to hit him again. He wasn't even going to deny it!

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked as he pulled Neji back from lunging again. "What are you talking about?"

"Hinata!" Neji yelled, his glare narrowing even further at the light haired boy in front of him. "Tell them all what you did to her!" Suddenly, all the eyes in the room shifted to Suigetsu in anticipation and confusion, except for a pair of pale, lavender eyes that looked to Sakura in desperation. But when Suigetsu didn't answer him, he decided to take it upon himself to reveal the truth, the quench for blood of the monster inside him not being satisfied. "You preyed on her when she was at her weakest. You got her drunk and you _had sex with her_." The room was so quiet, that you could hear a church mouse sneeze 50 miles away, let alone a pin drop. That's how there was no doubt in Hinata's mind that everyone heard the next words. "You got her _pregnant_."

That was when all hell broke loose. As Suigetsu's eyes widened in shock, Hinata started hyperventilating, and Sakura yelled out Neji's name in shock and anger that he'd actually said it. Right there – in front of Sasuke, Tenten, Gaara, Kiba, Hiashi, Hanabi, and everyone else! Kiba and Sasuke's grips on Neji loosened in shock, which allowed Neji to tackle the light haired teen again, punching him several times in the face before Gaara and Sasuke manage to pull him off.

But still, there was one person who was completely silent, his gaze looking at the ground. That was the one person who Hinata's eyes landed on, as well as Hanabi's and Neji's (as soon as he'd managed to reach some semblance of self-control). In fact, everyone's eyes turned to the Hyuga patriarch, who was struggling to accept the new information.

"Hinata?" he asked, sending a new wave of absolute silence through the room. Hinata was waiting with baited breath for his response, the possible reactions going through her mind rapidly in those few seconds. "Is this true?"

She couldn't say it. She couldn't look him in the eye and tell him that she was pregnant. She just couldn't. Sakura couldn't either. Hinata averted her gaze, giving Hiashi his answer, as Sakura and Tenten, who had moved over to stand by Hinata in the chaos, had their gazed fixed worriedly on the Hyuga girl.

The entire room was waiting with baited breath for the answer. Suigetsu stood, needing to be supported by Gaara after the beating he'd received, waiting for the answer. She just couldn't be…could she? Sasuke and Kiba had a hold of Neji again, only he wasn't struggling to attack Suigetsu anymore. In fact, now that he'd regained control, he was mortified that he'd actually done that to Hinata – he'd caused a scene, and now, she was going to have to face this much sooner than she was comfortable with.

"Pack your things," Hiashi said, not looking anywhere near his daughter. Hinata felt her heart clench as her world fell apart. "I want you out of this house by the end of the night."

* * *

After the scene between Hinata and Hiashi, it was silently decided by everyone that the party was over. Sakura, Tenten and Kiba went to help Hinata pack the few things that she'd left at the mansion and hadn't moved to the dorms months ago. Neji was forced to talk to Hiashi about what he'd heard, the latter not wanting to speak to his daughter at all. Sasuke and Gaara brought Suigetsu back to the dorms, hoping to get his side of the story.

As soon as they reached Gaara and Suigetsu's room, Sasuke felt an insane urge to beat the shit out of the other male hit him, but he quelled it. Neji did enough damage for all of them. But if Neji was right – if Hinata was drunk – then it was just Suigetsu taking advantage of her. He'd never thought Suigetsu was that kind of person, but since college had started months ago, Suigetsu had developed an insatiable libido. Not that it wasn't insatiable before, but before he was exclusively screwing around with Sasuke, whereas now he was hopping from bed to bed.

Silently, Suigetsu took off his bloody shirt and discarded it. But as much as Sasuke didn't even want to talk to Suigetsu at the moment, he had to.

"Explain," he said simply, a glare on his face. No matter how good friends he was with Suigetsu, he couldn't just let this happen. It was partly his fault that Hinata was vulnerable to begin with. He'd told her not to drink, but he couldn't blame her…he'd probably do much worse if Naruto broke up with him. Besides, after witnessing Hiashi disown his own daughter, how could Sasuke not feel overly protective of his friend?

"I didn't plan any of this!" Suigetsu exclaimed defensively as he battled to not die under the intense glares from the redhead and the raven. "I went to Mangekyo to find someone to fuck, and I saw her there."

"So you thought she was fair game?" Gaara asked angrily. Sasuke was slightly surprised…Gaara was generally composed. Then again, between Sasuke, Gaara and Neji, Suigetsu had happened to provoke three of the most stoic people in the city and managed to make all of them lose their composure.

"No!" Suigetsu defended. "I told her she had to stop drinking and I brought her back to her room to sleep it off." There were so many things Sasuke wanted to snarkily yell at the other male, but he chose to remain silent, instead wanting to hear the explanation. "She started kissing me and rubbing against me, and I…I'll admit I didn't think with the right brain! But I promise that I'm not the father of her baby! I used a condom!"

"I don't care!" Gaara yelled. "The first thing you learn in Sex Ed is that condoms aren't 100% effective. God, I had fucking _Jiraya_ as a Health teacher – he only looked at porn during class – and _I_ fucking know that!"

"If Hinata said that she didn't sleep with anyone else, I believe her," Sasuke said, much more calmly than Gaara's outburst. "She's not the kind of person to sleep around, like _you_ are."

"Look, I used a condom!" Suigetsu said defensively. "What else would you want me to have done?"

"How about not take advantage of a girl who was obviously drunk and heartbroken!" Gaara exclaimed angrily. "Did that thought even pass through your mind before you let your fucking penis take over things?"

"I don't care if you used a condom," Sasuke said quietly, his voice sending shivers down Suigetsu's spine. "You're going to do the right thing and be there for Hinata, and help her through the situation _you_ put her in. And you will let _her_ make the decisions – if she wants to keep it, you'll pay child support. If she wants to give it up for adoption, you'll sign all the necessary paperwork. If she decides to…" Sasuke trailed off, not sure if Hinata getting an abortion was even a feasible option. "Whatever she does, you will be there for her and stand behind her decisions. Got it?"

Suigetsu narrowed his eyes. "Crystal clear," he spat out. "But before you guys decide that I'm the only one who made mistakes that night, why don't you look to the girl who had gone to your intervention not a month before that night and then got shitfaced. We all spent months telling you about how bad you are when you drink, and then she turns around and does it. And apparently, you had already told her expressly _not_ to just hours before. So I refuse to be the bad guy in this."

"I don't care," Sasuke said. "You were the most active member in this scenario, and you will be doing everything right by Hinata. So help me, if I hear that you made this situation even more difficult for her, Neji will be the worst of your problems." With those last words, Sasuke left the room, Gaara following close behind him.

"Sasuke," Gaara said, grabbing the Uchiha's wrist before he could leave. Sasuke turned to his friend and sighed. "I know what you're thinking now, and it's not your fault."

"The only reason that Hinata was even drinking that night was because I decided to ruin her relationship," Sasuke said, pulling his wrist from Gaara's grasp. "And then, she came to me for help, and I just turned her away. I thought it was too awkward for me to care about, so I just let her go."

"You couldn't have known," Gaara said.

"I was just like her!" Sasuke exclaimed. "I was depressed about losing Naruto so I turned to alcohol. When you feel like you've lost everything, alcohol is your best friend. And she's paying for it a whole hell of a lot more than I did." With those words, Sasuke left Gaara standing in the hallway. He had to go back to his own room and tell Naruto about the night. And he doubted Naruto would be excited to hear what befell his ex-girlfriend on the night of their breakup.

* * *

Secrets are some of the most powerful things on Earth. They can destroy; they can built; they can help; they can hurt. If used correctly, a secret can do anything, give any power, to any person. And after all is said and done, a secret is never secret. Because no matter how few people you tell a secret to, they always come out.

Suigetsu was on the two different ends of secrets on Thanksgiving Day. In the evening, he'd learned a secret that could destroy him. His friendships, his future – they could all be gone in the wake of a revealed secret.

But a second secret was revealed to Suigetsu that night. Because after his roommate and their friend (if Suigetsu could still call him that) left the room, Suigetsu managed to overhear their conversation through the thin wall. And even though he didn't get the whole story, it wasn't hard to put the pieces together.

**Please Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	28. A New Mystery Begins

**Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto might own Naruto, but I own a few OCs. And I'll trade all of them for that one ramen lovin', foxy, tan, blond dobe.**

**This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Twenty-Eight: A New Mystery Begins

Hyuga Neji sighed as he walked down the halls of the mansion. It wasn't like he _wanted_ to be there. In fact, he was a little put off that his uncle had commanded him to skip his classes to come see him. But when Hyuga Hiashi wants to see you in his office immediately, you comply. There were no ifs, ands or buts.

It had been a full week. After the party, Neji realized just what he'd done, and he was (rightfully) horrified. Because of his lack of control, he had ruined Hinata's life; that certainly wasn't the goal he had when he confronted Suigetsu in front of everyone. In fact, that very evening, he went to Hiashi to ask him to let Hinata back into the family, but Hiashi flat out refused to listen to him.

Of course, it wasn't like Hinata was homeless – she did live in the dorms. But the fact that she wasn't welcome in her family home, that her own _father_ had practically kicked her out of the family, was still hurting her. She had to pack the few things she hadn't felt the need to move across the city and left without a word to her father. Neji apologized, of course. He, Sakura Gaara and Sasuke had all tried to help cheer her up, but she was so upset. And she was (understandably) pissed at Neji in general.

Sasuke and Gaara had told him about what had happened with Suigetsu after the party, but they hadn't heard much from Suigetsu since then. After that one night, Suigetsu didn't go back to his room much, choosing instead to go out and sleep around. As if that wasn't what caused this problem in the first place. Then again, Sasuke had mentioned that he wasn't surprised; whenever he had a problem, he turned to drinking, and he wouldn't put it past Suigetsu to turn to sex in light of this 'problem'.

Gaara and Sakura were also mad at the Hyuga heir, however. They blamed his temper on the entire situation blowing up in Hinata's face, not that he could really argue. He'd never lost control like that before. But thinking of Suigetsu using Hinata and then dumping her and their unborn child made his blood boil. He'd found out later that Suigetsu didn't even know Hinata was pregnant. And since nobody had seen or spoken to the teen since that night, no one was really sure how he was going to handle the situation.

He knocked twice on the door in front of him before hearing the man inside invited him in with a stern voice. Between checking in on Hinata and his classes earlier in the week, Neji hadn't had time to come back to the mansion and ask Hiashi to reverse his decision. He turned the knob and entered the office, noting that Hiashi wasn't facing him. The Hyuga patriarch was sitting in his chair, back turned towards the door, while he looked out his window at the gardens.

"Sit," came the commanding voice. Neji could tell that his uncle was still angry. He didn't raise his voice or anything, but he was being terse. His body language and tone of voice suggested that he was still angry over what had happened, and Neji couldn't blame him. It was a thoroughly awful situation for all involved. He walked over to the desk and sat down slowly in the chair that faced the desk, waiting for his uncle to speak again. "Do you have any idea why I have called you here?"

"No, sir," Neji answered obediently and truthfully. Well, sort of truthfully. He knew it had to do with the Thanksgiving incident – what else could be so important? But as for what Hiashi was going to say, Neji was completely clueless. "Is it about Hinata?"

"Don't mention her name," Hiashi said harshly, turning his chair to face Neji, the veins around his pale eyes popping out in sheer anger. Neji was slightly frightened at the sight in front of him, but he refused to show it, choosing to narrow his eyes instead.

"You can't just ignore this!" Neji exclaimed, choosing to stand up to his uncle rather than pay him lip service. Sure, he had no idea what it was like to be in Hiashi's position, but he doubted it was any worse than the position he'd put Hinata in. "She's your daughter!"

"_Was_," Hiashi corrected, shocking Neji. "No daughter of mine would have premarital sex, let alone become pregnant as a teenager. That's the end of this discussion." Neji couldn't believe him! How could he just write off his own daughter like she didn't even exist! Sure, Hinata might have disappointed him, even angered him, but there was no way the paternal love he should have for her could be destroyed by one mistake. One _drunken_ mistake. "I called you here to discuss your future within the Hyuuga Corporation."

Again, Neji was shocked. His uncle had decided to not involve Neji in the company until he had already obtained a degree in business. Had the Hinata situation changed that?

"I've decided that instead of getting a degree, it would be more practical for you to gain hands-on experience at Hyuga Corp," Hiashi said, shocking Neji. When did he decide this? It was always the plan for Neji to get his education first. "After this semester, you will drop out of Konoha University and begin to work as an intern at the corporate offices. If you feel it is completely necessary, you may also take some courses on the side, but they shall not be your priority."

"And what about my life?" Neji asked, the words escaping his mouth before he could filter them away. Oh well…in for a dime, in for a dollar. "I have friends at the university. I have goals and plans. Why is it so important all of a sudden for me to work as a lowly _intern_ when I could get a degree and make connections for the business world?"

"You will also be going to a seminar in Kumo in a couple of weeks," Hiashi continued, ignoring his nephew's outburst. "You will be leaving on the 21st and returning on the 28th."

"You want me to miss _Christmas_?" Neji asked, not sure if he was really hearing this. It had to be some kind of joke! First he wants Neji to give up on education, then on spending time with his friends and family? What was going on here?

"Sales are down 7% since the last quarter," Hiashi said simply. "We all must make changes in our lives to help the business. You have talents that will surely help the company along, and this seminar in Kumo will help you develop your rolodex further, as well as give you innovative ideas to help Hyuga Corp. profit during this economy."

"I'm not going," Neji said calmly, noting the flaring of Hiashi's nostrils at the defiance. "Someone has to stay here and make sure Hinata is okay for the holidays. Not being with one's family is hard around this time of year." He gave Hiashi a pointed look, which was returned in full.

"Don't mention her name," Hiashi said, his voice sounding more like a low growl. "She's not a part of this family anymore."

"You're wrong," Neji said, standing up from his chair. "Even if you refuse to acknowledge her because of a mistake, you can't stop me from being there for her. And you can't stop Hanabi from caring about his sister either. You want to control everything, but you can't control people's feelings." Hiashi's glare faded and he calmly sat back in his chair, looking at Neji.

"So your loyalty is with her," he said, understanding what Neji was saying.

"My loyalty is with the family," Neji clarified. "You're throwing her away like garbage when it was Hoshigaki Suigetsu who took advantage of her. It was practically date rape, and you're punishing her for it!" Neji looked at his uncle's face and was unable to read the expression. Hiashi was lost deep in thought. He waited a few moments, not wanting to disturb his train of thought. After a few minutes, his uncle spoke up again.

"Perhaps you're right," Hiashi said softly, more to himself than to his nephew. Neji froze in surprise. Was his uncle actually listening to reason? He was much too stubborn to give in that easily. As if suddenly remembering Neji was standing in front of him, Hiashi's head snapped up. "If you go to this seminar, you may stay enrolled at Konoha University," Hiashi said, surprising Neji. It wasn't often that his uncle listened to reason and changed his mind. "I do, however, expect you to take part in shareholder meetings and you will start working as a part time intern after this semester is over."

Neji was pretty surprised. That was just about as good a deal as he was going to get. It's not like Neji could tell his uncle to fuck off completely – he was reliant upon him for money and support. If he was allowed stay at Konoha University, then he would accept the deal that was placed in front of him. But there was still one thing he needed to know.

"And Hinata?" he asked, waiting to hear Hiashi's response. Once again, Hiashi looked faraway in thought, and Neji decided not to disturb him. Finally, Hiashi seemed to have made a decision, as he stopped thinking and looked up at Neji, his mouth opening as he was about to respond.

"You are dismissed," he said, ignoring the younger Hyuga's concerns. Neji balled up his fist but realized that Hiashi wouldn't answer him if he stayed any longer, so he walked out of the office, hoping that he had managed to get his stubborn uncle to see some sense.

* * *

That morning, Sasuke woke up before Naruto. It wasn't that unusual anymore, but generally it was because the blonde's nightmares had him tossing and turning, waking Sasuke up from his own slumber. But in the last week, Naruto had been sleeping much more peacefully. He didn't know what had caused it, but it seemed something happened on Thanksgiving that put Naruto at ease.

Of course, when they were awake, there was still a lot of drama. Ever since Sasuke and Naruto found out about Hinata's pregnancy, they couldn't help but feel guilt. After all, the only reason Hinata was in that situation to begin with. Sure, it was kind of her fault for going out and drinking her sorrows away (especially after Sasuke expressly told her not to), but it was kind of hard to blame someone who just lost everything around her.

That's why Sasuke was the only one of his friends who didn't really blame Neji for Hinata's situation. Well, actually, he did somewhat blame Neji. But with the guilt he'd felt himself, it was hard for Sasuke to throw stones at that particular glass house. Sakura and Gaara had been incredibly pissed at him, and Hinata also harbored negative feelings towards her cousin (even if she didn't express them). But as angry as Sasuke could be, he knew just what kind of guilt Neji was feeling, because he felt it himself.

Then there was Suigetsu. As much as he was pissed at his friend, he was also worried. He was a bit harsh towards him, and it seems Suigetsu must have taken it really bad, as he seemed to just have disappeared off the face of the earth after that night. Sasuke was in a few classes with him, and Suigetsu had only shown up to only one of them. And before Sasuke could talk to him, he bolted out of the classroom.

Then there was the guilt at keeping his relationship with Naruto a secret. After everything that went down, Sakura also made it a point to ask Sasuke how he was doing. She kept asking if he was okay being a room with Naruto, only being able to 'see and not touch'. Sasuke wanted to tell her – truthfully! He knew she'd be very happy for them. But she also couldn't keep a secret, especially from her friends, like that. And now that he was the only one of them really speaking to Neji, it was getting hard to keep his relationship a secret from him. And he'd also been spending more time with Hinata, making sure she was okay. In short, he'd been spending so much time with the people he was keeping the secret from. And it was eating him inside.

Let's not forget the date: December 1st. It had been 11 years since his parents were killed. And as horrible as he usually felt this time of year, it was worse this time. Why, you ask? Because he felt that he was dealing with so much else that he didn't devote the right amount of misery towards the anniversary of his parents' deaths. Yeah, he knew it was silly. But he still felt like he was letting them down.

And on top of that there were the problems he'd been having before this week…namely the guilt over Madara's suicide. Sure, his guilt over Naruto's nightmares seemed to fade more now that the blond wasn't waking up scared and panting, but that didn't diminish the problems he'd been having since then. It was like he was being pulled in a million different directions at once. He wanted to be a good son and visit his parents' graves; he wanted to be a good friend and check up on Hinata; he wanted to be a good boyfriend and ask Naruto about the nightmares; he wanted to be a good friend and find Suigetsu. What could he do?

He was happy that he had an appointment with Dr. Kishimoto that afternoon. Sure, he didn't like the guy at all (especially after he suggested Sasuke talk to Madara…like that turned out well), but it would be nice to vent out his frustration.

Naruto moved a little bit, snuggling closer to Sasuke in his sleep, breaking the Uchiha from his thoughts. He propped his head up on his elbow and watched the blond sleep. Using his other hand, he slowly ran his fingers through his hair, massaging the scalp. Here he was, stress being piled on him by the minute, while Naruto was finally starting to recover from his dreams. What had done it? What changed that helped Naruto get through it? Maybe it was all the therapy he was getting.

He moved his hand down the side of Naruto's face before cupping the blonde's cheek in his hands. He slowly wiped his fingers along the small marks on his cheeks, enjoying the feel of the blond snuggling into him. As stressful and bad as the rest of the world was, Sasuke had to admit that he was content in that moment. Here, isolated from everyone and everything, it was just him and Naruto. It was only just over a month ago that he was miserable because of the unrequited love he'd had for the blond. And even though Naruto hadn't yet said that he loved the raven, Sasuke knew that it was only a matter of time.

As his fingers swiped against the tanned cheeks, Sasuke heard Naruto let out a small sound, signaling his awakening. He saw the cerulean orbs open and was caught in their gaze, his hands still on Naruto's cheeks. Suddenly, he saw a slight red tint cross Naruto's features as the blond realized Sasuke had been looking at him while he slept.

"Good morning," Sasuke said with a smirk on his face. Naruto quickly sat up and stretched, while Sasuke nearly pouted at having his heat source taken away. "How did you sleep?"

"Fine," Naruto said with a yawn. "I'm still tired, but at least I'm not having nightmares anymore." Sasuke nodded as the blond stood up to get dressed. Jeez, how could someone be such a morning person that they were up and at 'em less than a minute after waking up?

"You didn't have any nightmares," Sasuke observed, looking at Naruto for a response. "You haven't had one all week." Naruto furrowed his brow before raising them in surprise. He grinned, obviously having come to some sort of a realization.

"I kind of came out to Tsunade, Jiraya and Inoichi last week," Naruto said, shocking the raven. Naruto moved his hand to his cheek, where he scratched a nonexistent itch, one of the tell-tale signs that he was nervous but happy. "They took it much better than I expected." Sasuke, having recovered from his initial shock, frowned. Why hadn't Naruto told him sooner? It was great news! "I also told Inoichi about us being together." Ah, that's why…

"I thought we'd agreed to keep it secret so that Hinata and Neji wouldn't find out," Sasuke said, trying not to be angry. This whole thing was Naruto's idea, and here he was telling all his loved ones – Kiba, Ino, and now Inoichi. The only person who Sasuke was close to that knew was Gaara, who found out accidentally. It would be so much easier for him if he could tell Itachi or Kakashi, or Sakura!

"I'm sorry," Naruto said, his remorse evident on his face. "I know it was unfair to tell him without letting you know first, but it just kind of slipped out while we were preparing Thanksgiving dinner." Sasuke smirked and threw the covers off himself before standing and stretching. He walked over to Naruto and pulled the blond into an embrace before whispering in his ear.

"It's okay," he whispered, sending shivers down Naruto's spine. He released Naruto, and the two continued to dress. "I have an appointment with Dr. Kishimoto today," he said, trying to sound casual. But it wasn't every day that he went to see the therapist, and Naruto was appropriately confused for a moment. That is, until he remembered the date.

"It's December 1st, isn't it?" Naruto asked, concern etched on his face. "Are you okay? Do you want me to come with you or something?"

"I'm fine," Sasuke said, waving his arms dismissively. Besides, it's not like Naruto coming to the therapy session would really help. "Just…be here for me when I get back, okay?" Naruto nodded, and Sasuke felt grateful. It was hard enough whenever he had to face this day, but at least now he had Naruto. Naruto would help him through it.

Before Sasuke could leave, Naruto walked up to him and pulled him into a deep kiss. It wasn't meant to be anything sexual (even if Sasuke _did_ happen to feel a tingling in his groin), but comforting. And it was. This was the reassurance Sasuke needed to know that he could get through the day. He slowly pulled away, and gave a small smile to the blond before he was out the door.

To tell the truth, Sasuke dreaded going to Dr. Kishimoto's office. He hadn't continued with the therapy as promised ever since the psychiatrist had told him to confront his uncle about their past. So many things happened – Madara's suicide, Sasuke's depression, everything that happened with Naruto and the things he was going through with Suigetsu and Neji. His life had seemed to turn into a soap opera without him knowing it.

And then there were his parents. It was now exactly 12 years since they were declared dead. December 1st. How could he forget the date? It was right after Thanksgiving, ruining the entire holiday season. But this year was worse. Despite the fact that he was with Naruto and he was developing a better relationship with his brother and Kakashi, there was just a part of Sasuke that felt so alone. No matter how much Naruto loved him and he loved Naruto, there was no way for Naruto to understand him. As bad as what Naruto had to go through was, their problems were in no way similar. As much as he tried, he would never be able to understand what Naruto went through with the rape and the subsequent mental issues, and vice versa. How could Naruto ever know what the sort of mass death around Sasuke was like? Naruto never knew his mother, and Kyuubi's death wasn't exactly heartbreaking to him for obvious reasons. It was that realization that made Sasuke feel so alone.

But maybe going to Dr. Kishimoto would remedy that. Maybe this was exactly the kind of thing he was supposed to tell Dr. Kishimoto. It was the kind of thing that would, months ago, send Sasuke to a bar, but now made him shudder. He needed to talk to someone desperately, and as long as he tells Dr. Kishimoto during their appointment, it will all be fine.

It was on his way to Dr. Kishimoto, however, that Sasuke had a problem. As he drove down the street towards the parkway, he was hit with an overwhelming feeling of dread, and he had to pull over to the side of the road before he lost control of himself. His mind was racing in so many places at once that it took a long time for him to realize that his hands were shaking, and that there was a heavy feeling in his chest.

He sat back in the driver's seat, wide eyed, looking at himself in the rear view mirror as the pain in his chest continued to build. It was as if there was an elephant trying to sit on him, slowly putting more pressure on his chest. He pulled his collar down, gasping for air, but he came up short. Now he was drowning. He briefly thought he was having a heart attack, but he knew that he couldn't surely have a heart attack based solely on the stress around him. He was otherwise healthy.

He gasped for air, opening the car door to allow himself fresh air. The cold, December air blew into the car, and it was soon incredibly chilly, bordering on downright cold, but Sasuke was still barely breathing. It took mere moments before he started sobbing, not aware what was happening. It was like he was closed off from his body, his palms getting sweatier, his breaths coming shorter, and his chest feeling heavier. He tried to reach into his pants for his cell phone, but the slight movement had him dizzy, and he felt a sort of nausea rise. But it wasn't normal nausea indicating he was going to be sick. No, it was as if his gut was having a very violent war with his chest, and the two were only tearing Sasuke apart bit by bit.

He wasn't aware how it ended. After that stray thought went through his head, he had passed out, whether because of the pain, stress, or some physical ailment he didn't know. But when he came too, he was frozen to the car, his car door having been left open before he fainted. He was relieved to notice the pain and nausea had left him while he was out cold, and looked at his car's clock. It was already half way into his appointment with Dr. Kishimoto. He had been out for a good half hour. He closed the door and took a deep breath, trying to think clearly.

It didn't take him long to decide whether or not to go to Dr. Kishimoto's. He knew that as much as he could probably help, Dr. Kishimoto wasn't what Sasuke needed. Sasuke needed a small break. The thought of going to Mangekyo occurred to him, but he instantly rejected the idea. He toyed with the thought of returning to campus to be with Naruto, or finding Kakashi and telling him of the panic attack, but he didn't want to. If they knew about the panic attack, they would tell him to see a therapist immediately, and Sasuke wasn't in the mood for that.

A quick glance at his gas gauge told Sasuke that he was nearly empty, his gas having been wasted heating up a car with the door open. He pulled back into the lane to find a gas station to fill up at, telling himself he'd figure what to do next when he got to the gas station. He found one with somewhat cheap gas and pulled in, giving the man at the pump his credit card.

He knew what it was that triggered the panic attack. It was the thought of his parents, and how Naruto couldn't possibly understand him. Support was one thing, but understanding was totally different. Not that Sasuke could possibly blame Naruto for not having a suicidal uncle and parents killed by organized crime when he was a child. But it didn't sit right with him, having those thoughts.

He guessed a part of him was still depressed over Madara's suicide. Logically, he knew that it wasn't his fault; Kakashi and Naruto and Gaara and everyone else kept reinforcing this in his head, but it didn't matter. The fact was that he felt like the chapter had yet to be concluded, like there was unfinished business that he had to do in order to put it behind him and move forward from it. That was when he decided what he was going to do next.

* * *

When Sasuke got back to his room, he was unsurprised to see Naruto sitting at his desk on the computer. Naruto looked up when Sasuke entered, and his brows immediately furrowed at the sight. Sasuke's hair, which was normally perfectly preened in a style that not even the most exotic hairdressers would have imagined, was now flat and sticking to Sasuke's forehead. He looked as if he'd just run a marathon in the short time he'd been out. And in the back, there were hairs sticking out every which way, reminiscent of bedhead.

"What's with your hair?" Naruto asked, causing Sasuke to frown in confusion. Sasuke looked at the nearby mirror and saw his reflection, and his frown became one of displeasure. He dropped what he was holding on his desk – a metal box with a lock on it – and picked up his hair brush, trying to fix his hair. He wasn't going to intricately style it right here, but he couldn't have himself looking like someone who just had a panic attack.

Naruto looked over at the box after Sasuke set it down, and immediately walked over to poke at it. "What's this?" he asked Sasuke, who had finished with his hair. The box was the same color as a filing cabinet, and seemed to be made of the same metal. Naruto picked it up and rattled the contents. It seemed like there were a few things inside – a metallic clang that sounded as if a small piece of metal was inside, a rattling that said there was something big but not huge, and the sound of papers shuffling. Sasuke tore the box from Naruto's hands, appalled at the way he was treating it, before setting it down on his desk.

"This is the box from the bank," Sasuke said quietly, receiving a confused look from Naruto. "The safety-deposit box," he clarified, turning Naruto's mouth into an 'o'.

"Do you want some privacy?" Naruto asked, his face suddenly full of worry. Sasuke shook his head. "I want you to be here when I open it." Naruto nodded, and watched as Sasuke pulled the key for the box out of a drawer. Sasuke was visibly hesitant when it came to unlocking the box, and once the box was unlocked, it took even longer for Sasuke to open it. In fact, Naruto was just about to do the honors himself, impatience getting the best of him, when Sasuke tentatively reached out, as if the metal would burn him.

The box opened.

The most obvious thing in the box was a big VHS tape that Naruto knew could only be played on a VCR, which they happened to not have at the dorm. But surrounding the VHS tape were a couple of papers, two full pages of looseleaf and a small piece of paper that seemed to have been torn haphazardly with a few words on it. It was the first thing Sasuke picked up. Naruto let Sasuke read it, focusing on Sasuke's reaction. Immediately, Sasuke's eyes widened, and he seemed to freeze up. Naruto tentatively reached out and Sasuke allowed him to take the paper. On it were only four words.

_It wasn't your fault_.

Those four words, Naruto knew, spoke volumes, and he longed to know exactly what Sasuke was thinking right now. He recognized the impassive façade built up to keep his emotions inside, and he knew Sasuke was putting up the walls just because he didn't want to react to what might have been Madara's last message to him.

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered, knowing that he was heard. The room was silent enough that you could hear a pin drop. "Do you want to go on?" His words seemed to spark something in Sasuke, who tore the paper out of Naruto's hand and threw it angrily into the box.

"No," he said, sounding angry. "This was stupid. I should have just left this at the bank." He closed the box and prepared to put the lock on it, but Naruto's hands on his wrist stopped him.

"This isn't stupid," Naruto insisted. "You might not be ready now, but you're going to have to face this sooner or later." Sasuke glared at Naruto but didn't respond. Naruto briefly wondered if he had crossed some sort of line. Maybe he should have let Sasuke put it out of his mind for a while and deal with it when he was ready. He was actually about to apologize when Sasuke broke their eye contact and opened up the box again.

Sasuke reached in and took out the slip of paper, setting it on his desk. He then took out the two pieces of looseleaf paper that were folded in such a way that they seemed to be two pages of the same whole. While Sasuke looked at them and read what it said, Naruto looked inside and saw, in the corner, a small silver band hidden by the VCR. Curiosity getting the better of him, he reached out and picked it up, carefully examining it. Sasuke looked up from the papers and saw the ring, and his eyes grew wide.

"That's…" his voice caught and he trailed off, seeming to be shocked into silence. He gulped, clearing his throat, before continuing. "That's my father's wedding ring."

"He probably thought you should have it," Naruto said, gingerly placing the ring in Sasuke's hand. Between the small note, the papers in his hand (which Naruto still didn't know the content of) and the ring, tears began to shine in Sasuke's eyes before he suppressed them, clearing his face of all emotion. "Are you sure you don't want to be alone?" Naruto asked, noticing how Sasuke took care not to be emotional around him.

"No," Sasuke said, shaking his head. "I'm sure I don't want to be alone." Naruto nodded in understanding, choosing to remain silent until Sasuke chose otherwise. The hand that held the ring closed, but his other hand kept a tight hold on the papers, and Sasuke resumed reading them. After a few minutes, going through both papers, he put them down with a sigh. "Love notes," he said. "My mother and father, from when they were just teenagers." Naruto nodded, not exactly knowing how to comfort Sasuke. "Do you have a VCR?" he asked, indicating the VHS tape in the box.

Naruto shook his head. "The only person I know who still has a VCR is Kiba," Naruto said softly.

"Itachi might have one back at the mansion," Sasuke said. "I want to watch this." Naruto nodded, and he crossed the room to get his keys when Sasuke spoke out again. "Wait, there's something else in here." Naruto looked over and saw Sasuke holding up some sort of plastic card. It wasn't a credit card because it didn't have any numbers on it. In fact, on the front, there was only a design of three black tomoe over a red background with the word 'Sharingan Project' written in bold white that stood out against the background. Naruto walked across the room again to examine it, noting that the back was just blank with a black strip running vertically down the side.

"What's the Sharingan Project?" Naruto asked, confused as to what it was.

"I don't know," Sasuke admitted, taking back the card and examining it. "I've never even heard of it before." He examined the card once more and looked back at Naruto, who gave a shrug. "Let's get going. I want to watch this." He put the VHS back in the box with the papers and the plastic card into the box, slipped the ring on his finger, and picked up the box, ready to go to the mansion.

It wasn't a difficult decision as to who should drive. After his last experience behind the wheel and the emotional roller coaster he was stuck on, he would probably drive the two of them into a tree. Naruto drove much quicker than he usually did, however. Sasuke assumed it was because he wanted to get this over with, but it didn't matter to him. They were at the Uchiha mansion in record time, and Sasuke was relieved to see his brother wasn't home.

A quick search of the house later, the two found that the only VHS was in fact in Itachi's room. The two entered the room, and Sasuke pulled the VHS tape out of the box. He looked at it for a long second, considering putting it back and pretending he'd never seen the damn thing, before he shoved it into the VCR and picked up the remote, pressing play.

Sasuke almost fainted.

On the screen, looking directly into the camera, was his mother. He half expected Naruto to ask who was on the screen, but he didn't. Maybe he had seen her in some pictures around the house. Sasuke didn't particularly care anymore, as his eyes were fixed on the screen.

It must have been a few months before their murder, because Mikoto looked exactly as Sasuke had always remembered her. Long black hair and a feminine face that many think was passed down to Sasuke. Her eyes were black but full of life at the same time. She was beautifully dressed, and began to address the camera. She was intentionally making this video of herself.

"Hi Sasuke," she said, her voice sounding just as it had in his memories. Her smile was bright, but not overly wide like Naruto's tended to be. No, her smile conveyed enough to be considered genuinely happy, but there lacked something in the smile. "I hope you never have to see this video, but I'm making it just in case with strict instructions to Madara that you will only get it on your eighteenth birthday." Sasuke didn't even have enough energy to get mad at his uncle for not delivering it on time.

"It's 2001," she continued. "October 11th. I take it by now you know a lot about our family, including your uncle Madara. If you don't, then I'll tell you. He's a really great guy who fell in with the wrong sort." Sasuke almost scoffed. "A few weeks ago, your Aunt Rin and Cousin Obito were taken away by these bad men." Even though she claimed to be addressing an eighteen year old Sasuke, she sounded as if she was talking to a seven year old. And honestly, Sasuke felt like a seven year old. Ever since he saw his mother's face on the screen, he couldn't help but feel like the same child he was before her murder.

"I don't know what's going to happen," Mikoto said, tears shining in her eyes. "I very much would like to hope that this won't be necessary, and maybe it's my hormones speaking, but I can't help but be afraid. Your father won't let us leave the house without private security detail following us, and I can't blame him for becoming more paranoid. That's why I made this video…if the worst…happens…" She took a breath. "I just want to say a few things to you."

She looked torn as if she was still deciding whether this was a good idea or not. A couple seconds passed and she shook my head. "You know what, this is silly." She stood up, smiling and shaking her head, moving towards the camera. "Fugaku always tells me that I overreact." She stopped in front of the camera and apparently turned it off, because the screen went fuzzy. Sasuke was just about to let himself react when the fuzziness of the picture stopped and was replaced by his mother again, this time in a different dress.

"I'm sorry about that," she said sheepishly. "I don't really want to do this, because I'll feel so silly if nothing happens. But I'll feel worse if something does happen. It's not like making this video would hurt. Fugaku says I'm being ridiculous, but pregnant women are allowed to be ridiculous sometimes. It comes with the territory."

Sasuke's head jerked the left where he locked eyes with Naruto, who was just as shocked as him. So it wasn't just his ears deceiving him. That was his mother, dictating a message to him from about a month and a half before her death, and telling him that she's pregnant. He couldn't tell if he wanted to stop the video or keep it going. All he knew was that he _really_ wanted a drink.

But the video continued playing, and Mikoto must have realized she gave up a secret, because she smiled sadly and laid her hand on her stomach as pregnant women do. "We're waiting to tell you and Itachi until after the first trimester is over. There were some complications during my pregnancy with you, and we want to be sure this baby will be healthy before we let the cat out of the bag." Sasuke was barely able to contain a sob when he heard the clang of metal dropping on the tiled floor to the left. He looked from the TV to the doorway, where Itachi stood, his keys falling on the ground from his hands, and his eyes wide, having heard the same secret Sasuke had.

Naruto seemed to have recovered from the shock first because he was able to pause the TV before Sasuke even registered that it was still playing.

Sasuke and Itachi just looked at each other in states of shock for a couple moments before Itachi broke the silence. "What…was that?" Itachi asked, his voice sounding very controlled but on the brink of hysteria.

"It was a video that Madara left in the safety-deposit box," Naruto responded when it became clear that Sasuke was incapable of speech at the moment. "It's your mom; you should watch." Sasuke was completely speechless. His mind couldn't even process what was happening. He was on overdrive, and he felt that same constricting feeling that he felt in the car before his panic attack.

"Did she just…say…that she was pregnant?" Itachi asked, sounding just as in control of his mental facilities as Sasuke felt. After a pregnant pause (bad choice of words), Naruto nodded and patted the foot of Itachi's bed with his hand, inviting Itachi to sit down with them. Wordlessly, Itachi complied and Naruto pressed the play button.

"I just want you to know that I love you, now and always, even if I'm not here to show it," Mikoto said, starting to tear up. "The same goes for your father." She paused to wipe her tears, and a small boy entered the picture. He was wearing a black collared shirt and white khakis, and Naruto didn't need to consult any family pictures to know it was Sasuke who had just hopped onto the sofa Mikoto had been delivering the message from.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" younger Sasuke asked, hugging Mikoto tightly. The chest pain was back. Sasuke could barely even pay attention with the pain he was in, but he forced himself to. He didn't want to miss a word.

"Don't worry, Sasuke," Mikoto said, running her hand through Sasuke's hair. "Why don't you say hi to the camera?" Younger Sasuke turned to the camera, almost as if he hadn't realized it was there, before smiling a toothy grin and waving.

"Hi to the camera," he repeated, like a kid who'd just learned the sarcastic retort in elementary school and had been waiting to try it out. Come to think of it, he probably was. Mikoto's smile widened after Sasuke's joke, and Sasuke turned back to her. "It's bedtime now. Can I have a goodnight kiss?"

"Of course," she said, giving him a kiss and a hug before he left the camera's view, presumably to his bedroom. Suddenly, Sasuke couldn't take it anymore. He'd _remembered_ that moment. Seeing the camera, waving hi to it. How _sick_? He was a part of his mother's own goodbye video to himself?

He was aware of Naruto pausing the tape and calling after him, but he couldn't hear what he was saying. He travelled down the passages of the mansion, going as far away from Itachi's room as possible. At one point, he passed the sitting room that the video had taken place in, and he almost threw up. He started running.

He ran.

And ran.

And ran.

Finally, he was in a part of the mansion that was rarely used by the Uchihas – the laundry room. It was mainly used by the staff that would be away until Monday. And just as good. He wanted to have his panic attack in as much privacy as possible.

He began to hyperventilate, and he couldn't think straight. Every time he tried, he'd see his mother again. "_We want to make sure this baby is healthy before letting the cat out of the bag." "Pregnant woman are allowed to be ridiculous sometimes." "Waiting until the first trimester is over."_ Sasuke fell over and didn't even try to get back up. He suddenly became aware that he had, sometime during the course of the video, pulled out a slip of paper from his pocket and crumpled it.

He uncrumpled it awkwardly from his position on the ground, and he knew he was on the very edge of sanity when he read the words on the paper.

'_It wasn't your fault.'_

His grip on the paper tightened as his vision blurred. He closed his eyes shut and tried to block his mother's voice out of his mind as he lost his sanity. He opened them again and, because of the lighting in the room, noticed that there were words on the other side of the slip. He turned it over, and he barely had time to register what the words said before passing out.

_The Sharingan Project – Dr. Senju Hashirama_

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	29. The Kiss Heard 'Round the World

**Disclaimer: At this point, if you don't understand the concept of a disclaimer, there's no hope for you.**

**This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Kiss Heard 'Round the World

Of course, nothing stops time. Life moved on after Naruto was raped, and it moved on after he went to the mental hospital, and it moved on even after he found Sasuke passed out in the Uchiha laundry room. They had stopped the tape. Watching it further wouldn't help anyone, especially not Sasuke. After the Uchiha had awoken, he was silent, and Naruto didn't push him. By the next day, Sasuke was acting normal, and he didn't even once mention the video tape.

Naruto knew it wasn't healthy, but he didn't think dwelling on it would be any healthier. Sasuke needed to work this out in his own way, and when he did, Naruto would make sure he was there for his boyfriend.

For the next few weeks, Sasuke's mind was on other things, namely the Sharingan Project. While he didn't know what it was or how it could be significant in any way, he needed a distraction, and a little bit of sleuthing would provide a great one. Of course, he didn't really get much about it. Google didn't give Sasuke any help when he typed 'Sharingan Project' into the engine, and his trip to Madara's apartment to search for clues was a waste of time.

But that wasn't all occupying the Uchiha's time. After all, he did have finals coming up. And as much as he hated the idea of taking a test in his current mental state, some studying would also help distract him from the videotape of his mother. After all, there was no possible way for integrals and differential equations to stir up unwanted memories.

But still, the weeks passed in a flurry of internet searches and poured-over textbooks. Naruto and Sasuke's relationship became more physical, but the truth was that Naruto was still pulling back. Sasuke couldn't really get upset after everything Naruto went through, but it was getting pretty damn frustrating. Not only didn't they go any further than making out and feeling each other up, but Sasuke also had to wait until Naruto wasn't in their room to relieve himself, lest he make Naruto feel guilty.

And yes, during one of the few times his mind wasn't occupied by the Sharingan Project or finals, he did look up how soon rape victims begin participating in sexual activity. And he didn't like what he found. According to dozens of studies, it turns out most rape victims either experience increased promiscuity or experience sexual isolation that is hard to escape from. And let's just say that Naruto wasn't exactly being a slut right now.

But in everything other than sex, Naruto was the perfect boyfriend. He knew when Sasuke needed some space, and he knew when Sasuke needed a hug. He wasn't too clingy, but it was obvious that he cared. And he knew when something was wrong with Sasuke almost instantly.

It was because of Naruto that Sasuke refused to let himself get too depressed. It would just be so easy to, but he knew that he couldn't do that to Naruto. The blond was finally starting to really open up in their relationship, and Sasuke knew that even though the worst seemed behind him, Naruto had his fair share of demons that he needed help dealing with.

Ha! What a pair they were!

Before he knew it, Sasuke was leaving his last final, done with his first semester of college. He was pretty sure he did well in his exams; mostly As, maybe a B or two. And that was impressive considering the mind set he was in.

Despite the fact that he forced himself to forget that his mother was pregnant, he was still a mess. There was just way too much going on for him to handle at once. Sometimes he wondered how he did it. Almost twice in the last two weeks he had almost resorted to drinking to escape it. It made his problems before seem like child's play to the problems he had now. He very rarely felt happy anymore. In fact, he was starting to forget what feeling happy was like.

He threw open the door to his room, alerting Naruto to his presence. Wordlessly, the blond walked over to him with concern in his eyes and pulled him into a long, soft kiss. Sasuke enjoyed the feeling of Naruto's tongue against his own, but it still wasn't enough to melt the ice he felt inside him. Here was this guy who he _loved_, and even that couldn't distract him from his miserable life!

"How was the exam?" Naruto asked as he pulled away.

"Fine," Sasuke murmured. Naruto nodded and stepped back, letting Sasuke sit down at his desk. He had learned pretty quickly that Sasuke was going to be distant, and he let Sasuke have his space. Sasuke was thankful, but he felt guilty at the same time. Just a couple of weeks ago, he and Naruto were so solid that it seemed like nothing would tear them apart. Now, it wasn't like Sasuke and Naruto were in danger of breaking up, but they were becoming more distant, and Sasuke didn't like it.

Like it was ritual, Sasuke opened his laptop and pressed the power button, looking to the right of his monitor at the key card. _The Sharingan Project_. The words taunted him. There was absolutely no information online, and yet Sasuke kept trying. After Google turned up zero results, he began looking deeper and deeper, but still came up with nothing. He looked in mythology for a mention of Sharignan. He looked at classic Japanese literature looking for a mention, but still nothing.

He was getting frustrated before even starting to look online today! He threw his head back in frustration and looked at the left side of the laptop and saw a small piece of looseleaf paper that looked ripped from another piece of paper. It bore a single message: _It wasn't your fault._ More taunting! Whatever Madara might have meant by leaving Sasuke this note, the message didn't sink through.

"Sasuke, I think we should go out," Naruto said from the other side of the room. Sasuke reached out and picked up the small, ripped piece of looseleaf before turning to Naruto with an inquisitive look. "I mean, you've been moping for the last few weeks – for good reason – but finals are over, and I think we should celebrate. It's not like either of us has had much good happen to us lately."

"Well, Suigetsu does have that party tomorrow," Sasuke reminded his boyfriend, who suddenly looked confused.

"That's still happening?" Naruto asked. "I know he was planning on having a party after finals, but that was before everything with Hinata happened. Is he still having the party?"

Sasuke nodded. "I spoke to Suigetsu the other day. He said that the party is still on. He promised me that he's going to talk to Hinata and get a few things straightened out."

"Oh," Naruto said. "That's nice." Sasuke nodded, looking back down at the paper on his lap. _It wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault._ He read the words over and over again, turning them around in his head. But if Madara's suicide _wasn't _his fault, then what caused him to do it? Had it really been planned before then? Or what if the note wasn't talking about the suicide?

He glared at the paper one more time, as if the glare would get the paper to start talking and tell Sasuke what Madara meant. But as he was about to throw the paper to the side, he was stopped by something. The light hit the paper in such a way that Sasuke could see something on the other side. He quickly flipped the paper over and saw more words, and a memory came back to him.

It was right before he'd passed out in the Uchiha laundry room. He'd had that paper, and he looked at it. He must have forgotten what he'd seen, but it didn't matter anymore. He had another clue to what the Sharingan Project was.

_The Sharignan Project – Dr. Senju Hashirama_.

He didn't know who Dr. Senju Hashirama was, but it was definitely easier to Google a name than an ambiguous phrase. He turned around abruptly and signed into his computer.

"Come here," he said to Naruto, nodding his head towards the computer. Naruto stood up from his bed and crossed the room until he was standing over Sasuke's shoulder, one hand on the desk and the other on the back of Sasuke's chair.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked. Sasuke handed Naruto the note, and Naruto sported a confused expression. "Whose Senju Hashirama?" he asked.

"I have no clue," Sasuke said with some excitement as he opened up his browser. "But he has to exist somewhere. Facebook, MySpace, Twitter…There's no way we won't be able to find him. Maybe he knows Madara. Maybe he knows what the Sharingan Project is!" He quickly typed the name into Google as Naruto leaned down to look at the screen.

Sasuke's excitement rose as he clicked the first link Google came up with, and a picture of Senju Hashirama revealed itself.

"Who is he?" Naruto asked.

"He's a doctor at NYU's Langone Medical Center," Sasuke read off the page. "He's a neurologist, specializing in the spinal cord."

"So he lives in New York?" Naruto asked. Sasuke nodded as he scrolled down the page.

"It says that he graduated from John Hopkin's Medical School," Sasuke read with awe. "That's where Madara went to school before joining the family business. They graduated in the same year."

"So you think that Hashirama might now Madara?" Naruto asked.

"It can't be a coincidence, can it?" Sasuke said. He turned to look at Naruto, waiting for a response.

"I don't know, Sasuke," Naruto said. "He _might_ know Madara, but he might not. What if Madara wanted us to meet him for another reason."

"It says he's connected to the Sharingan Project right here," Sasuke argued, pointed to the paper. Even Naruto couldn't argue that.

"Okay," Naruto said. "But how do you expect to ask him about the Sharingan Project if he lives all the way in New York. It's not exactly the next town over, you know?"

"Yeah," Sasuke muttered darkly. And here he was, finally getting a clue, and suddenly the entire thing was out of his reach. A dead end. He sighed and pushed back from the desk. "You're right. I should just stop looking into this and forget I ever saw what was in the damn safety-deposit box." He stood up and encircled Naruto in his arms. "I'm sorry I've been so distant lately."

"I understand," Naruto said, returning the hug and leaning his head against Sasuke's. "It's been hard, hasn't it? Have you spoken to Itachi or Kakashi about the video?" He felt Sasuke tense up beneath him. "That'll help, you know. You shouldn't keep things bottled up. That's what makes you drink."

"I know," Sasuke said, pulling away from his boyfriend. "But I can't think about it. I just…I can't." Naruto was about to respond when the sound of Britney Spears' "Till the World Ends" blasted through the room. Sasuke watched as Naruto picked up his phone and answered.

"Oh hey, Ino," he said into his phone. "What happened?" He paused. "No, I guess not." Another pause. "Well, I'm sort of in the middle of something right now."

"Go," Sasuke urged, nodding towards the phone. "I think I'm going to stop by the mansion anyway."

Naruto broke out into a wide smile and he spoke back into the receiver. "Never mind. I'll meet you there in about ten minutes, okay?" Another pause. "See you then." He hung up the phone and put it in his sweatshirt pocket. "I'm meeting her at the Student Union," he said. "Thank you for going to see Itachi. Just remember that he's probably in just as bad a shape as you are."

"I know," Sasuke said quietly. "I wonder if he told anyone."

"Ask him when you get there," Naruto said as he shrugged on a jacket and picked up his dorm room key. "I'll see you later."

Sasuke nodded as the blond left before he crossed to the computer, looking at the picture of Hashirama Senju. There was just something odd about the man. Maybe he was just imagining it, but he looked run down. It was obviously a recent picture, as all the staff pictures seemed to be updated earlier in the year.

Suddenly, a thought crept into Sasuke's head. He chewed on his nail – a habit he'd lost years ago – as he decided whether or not to go through with it. After a couple seconds of deliberation, he decided to go for it. He sat back down at his desk and began a new Google search. _Flights to New York_.

* * *

When Naruto returned to the dorm room, he was shocked to find Sasuke still there, waiting for him with a smile on his face. He couldn't decide whether to be confused or amused, so he settled on a combination between the two as he took off his jacket.

"What's with the smile?" Naruto asked.

"Please tell me you don't have any plans for over the break," Sasuke said with his smile growing. Naruto couldn't help but smile. Sasuke's smile was infectious, especially after being absent for so long.

"Well, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to be here for Christmas in a week and a half," Naruto mused. "But other than that, I'm free. Why?"

"What if I told you that your amazingly smart, attractive, rich boyfriend was going to take you to the Big Apple for a couple of weeks?" Sasuke said, his smile stretching from ear to ear. But suddenly, Naruto's vanished.

"This is about that doctor, isn't it?" he asked sourly.

"Not completely," Sasuke said. "We both deserve a vacation. Yes, I would take a day to find Dr. Hashirama and find out what he knows, but there's so much to do in New York. I promise you that you'll be my main focus."

"I don't know if I can miss Christmas, though," Naruto said as he flopped down on his bed. "My dad and Ino will be pretty upset.

"I didn't know you were religious," Sasuke said with a tone of curiosity in his voice.

"It's not that I'm religious, but…you know…it's _Christmas_," Naruto said, as if that explained everything.

"Well, unless you're going to mass – which you can do in New York anyway; they have this big cathedral – you can exchange gifts when we get back," Sasuke said with a shrug.

"I dunno," Naruto said apprehensively. "It just wouldn't feel right."

"But you know what _would_ feel right?" Sasuke inquired, kneeling in front of Naruto's bed, his face an inch from his boyfriend's.

"What?" Naruto breathed so soft that he was barely sure he said a word.

"New Years Eve at Times Square, where we can watch the ball drop," Sasuke whispered, inching his face closer to Naruto's so that they were almost kissing. "And you know who'll be performing?" he asked, smirking at his soon-to-be-victory. "Coldplay," he whispered. Naruto's eyes shot open before he closed them, kissing Sasuke so hard that he fell off the bed on top of the other.

Sasuke smirked into the kiss as he returned it with fervor, snaking a hand up his shrit and feeling his hard muscles. Naruto removed his mouth from Sasuke's, moving down his neck to the hallow of his throat. He bit the pulse and began to suck on it as Sasuke tweaked his nipples.

"Ah…if I knew Coldplay got you so hot…I'd have…suggested this a while…ago," Sasuke breathed as Naruto pulled back.

"Shut up," he said, pulling off his shirt and lowering himself onto his boyfriend again, covering his lips with his own. Sasuke pulled back with another smirk.

"If I knew taking you across the country would get such a reaction out of you, I'd have done it a month ago," he said, earning himself an earlobe bite from his boyfriend.

_This_ was how it should be.

After another few seconds of passionate kissing, Naruto pulled up again, pulling Sasuke's shirt off and leaving them both shirtless. He pressed his flushed skin against his boyfriend, and he silenced the upcoming smart ass remark by kissing him before the words could leave his mouth.

Sasuke must have gotten pretty fed up with being on bottom because it was only a couple more minutes before he flipped them over, straddling Naruto.

"How far are we going with this?" Sasuke asked in a breathy voice that went straight to Naruto's groin.

"You'll see," Naruto said, the coy smirk on _his_ face this time. He leaned up and licked a circle around Sasuke's navel before plunging his tongue inside. Sasuke closed his eyes, barely containing a moan as Naruto tackled him, reversing their positions again.

"I want to know what Ino said that made you so horny," Sasuke breathed out as Naruto bit his left nipple. He grazed a trail down Sasuke's chest and stomach with his teeth until he ended up at the waistband of his jeans.

"You'll never know," Naruto teased as he unbuttoned Sasuke's jeans. Sasuke's eyes widened, surprised that it seemed he actually _would_ be getting off during this session of theirs. His throat went dry, seeing Naruto down between his legs. Naruto licked his lips and Sasuke felt himself twitch against his own constricting pants. Naruto's smirk widened as he slowly – oh god, why was he taking so long – unzipped his pants and pulled them over Sasuke's lifted hips. He could see Sasuke's cock sticking out of the small hole in the front of his boxers, throbbing in need.

Next thing he knew, a mouth was wrapped around his member and he bucked his hips up until he was balls deep in Naruto's mouth. Naruto hummed around it and then pulled back to pull the boxers over the wet cock and down Sasuke's legs. Sasuke shrugged out of his pants and boxers, leaving him completely naked as Naruto resumed his position on Sasuke's cock.

Sasuke had never felt this before. The only time he even felt close was when Naruto had given him a blow job that one time when he thought he was a girl. But Sasuke was so conflicted back then that he couldn't just enjoy it. But now, he watched as the man he loved pleasured him. His eyes were half-lidded when they met Naruto's when the blond looked up while bobbing on his cock. The eyes sparkled with lust, and it took all of Sasuke's self control to not cum right then and there.

It was three seconds later when Naruto used his hand to tickle Sasuke's balls that Sasuke came. And true to Sasuke's fantasies, Naruto swallowed every drop.

"That was quick," Naruto said with a teasing smirk as he leaned in to kiss Sasuke again. Sasuke scowled into the kiss and pushed Naruto back, straddling his boyfriend once more. He began to unbuckle Naruto's belt and pulled it through the belt loops in one succinct move. Wasting no time, he unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, and in just a couple of seconds, Naruto was as stark naked as Sasuke was.

"Let's see who's quick after this," Sasuke said, taking Naruto's entire length in his mouth. Naruto's heart jumped out of his chest as he felt Sasuke's nose in his pubes. He closed his eyes tight as Sasuke hummed around his cock, knowing that his boyfriend just wanted to prove a point to him.

Well, it worked. Naruto could tell he was already on the edge, and he was just a couple of seconds away from cumming when Sasuke pulled off his cock. He moved to sit on Naruto's chest and pinned the blonde's hands above his head.

"On second thought, maybe I _won't_ let you cum," Sasuke said with a devilish smirk. Naruto's expression quickly turned sour as he waited for Sasuke to continue, but he wouldn't. He tried to move his arms, but Sasuke kept them pinned down, a victorious look upon his face.

"Sasuke," Naruto growled. But he couldn't continue, because Sasuke captured his lips in a ravenous kiss. Naruto let out his frustration, battling Sasuke for control of the kiss, neither of them relenting. Sasuke smirked as he grabbed Naruto's sweatshirt and swiftly tied Naruto's hands together using one arm of the sweatshirt and tied it to the bed post with the other arm. Naruto growled as Sasuke finished tying it, but Sasuke just smirked even wider.

"Now I'm going to have my fun," he said, trailing his finger down Naruto's chest. He stood up and sat back down between Naruto's legs, leaning over Naruto's cock and breathing over it. Naruto shivered at the rush of warm air that he felt, and he involuntarily bucked his hips up. "Not yet," Sasuke said as he lightly dragged his nails up Naruto's inner thigh until they rested right next to the tan cock. "I need to hear you _beg_."

Naruto shook his head, his eyes squeezed shut, when Sasuke had a deliciously evil thought go through his mind. He sat back on Naruto's stomach, this time much further down. In fact, Naruto's cock was almost rubbing against Sasuke's crack. When he pushed back, Naruto's eyes opened wide as he saw Sasuke rubbing his cock against his hole.

"You know you want it, Naruto," Sasuke purred, circling Naruto's nipple with his finger. "You just have to say the words."

"Please, Sasuke!" Naruto whined almost before the raven had finished speaking. Sasuke's smirk widened.

"Please what?" Sasuke asked, feigning ignorance.

"Please, finish what you started!" Naruto begged. "I _need _it."

He didn't need another word to be uttered before he turned around and enveloped Naruto's cock with his mouth, taking it until he felt his boyfriend's balls against his nose. It was an odd position, but it didn't matter, because Naruto practically exploded as soon as he felt the wet warmth. Sasuke tried in vain to swallow it all, but Naruto seemed to not stop, and some of it dribbled down Sasuke's chin as he sat up to look back at Naruto.

"You are…so hot," Naruto breathed in his post-orgasmic high. "And such a bastard."

"I am," Sasuke said with a smile. He stood up and pulled the blanket on his bed open. Somehow, in their wrestling match/foreplay, they ended up from Naruto's bed to Sasuke's. He held his hand out to Naruto, who accepted the help in getting up. "Let's get to bed."

"Sasuke, it's only 5:30," Naruto said, still catching his breath.

"Yeah, but we want to be well rested for the party tomorrow, don't we?" Sasuke asked. "Besides, there's no way you're depriving me of spooning right now."

"Fine," Naruto said as he settled into Sasuke's bed. "But after what you just put me through, I get to be big spoon."

"Hn," Sasuke said as he followed the blond. "You deserved it after having the audacity to question my stamina."

"What stamina?" Naruto said with a smirk, earning a glare from Sasuke.

"Shut up," the Uchiha muttered as he turned around in the bed. Naruto smirked, but he didn't press further.

* * *

Suigetsu was just about as nervous as he could be. He still wasn't sure whether or not this was a good idea. On the one hand, about half of the people invited to his house wanted to castrate him. On the other hand, he _did_ want to make things right with Hinata, and maybe this could be the first step. If she showed up of course.

He had made sure that his mansion was stocked with a lot of food, hoping that if people stuffed their mouths enough then there would be less gossip. But that would probably be futile anyway. He paced up and down the kitchen, waiting for the guests to arrive. It was still only 7:30, and the party wouldn't begin for another half hour, but he was restless.

"Suigetsu," came a voice from the top of the stairs. The blue-ish gray haired teen looked behind him to see that his brother had entered the room. Kisame was accompanied by Deidara and Hidan, the latter wasting no time in opening a bag of pretzels. "We need to talk. Can you come with me to my room?"

Suigetsu didn't let his puzzlement show as he followed his brother down the hallway to the master bedroom of the mansion. As soon as they entered, Kisame looked around, making sure that neither Deidara nor Hidan followed them, before closing the door.

"What's going on?"Suigetsu asked suspiciously. "What don't you want them to hear?"

"I need you to promise me you won't get mad," Kisame began.

"What don't you want me to get mad at?" Suigetsu asked, his eyes narrowed at the implication that Kisame did something extremely bad.

"Well, you know how things have been tight around here since Mom and Dad died, and we've been using the bare minimum of money so that we could keep up payments on the house and go to school?" Kisame asked. Suigetsu nodded, waiting to hear what sounded like a big confession. "Well, I got tired of it, so I decided to do something about it."

"What did you do?" Suigetsu asked.

"Well, I decided to take the money that we put aside for college and invest it in the stock market," Kisame admitted.

Suigetu's eyes widened, pretty sure he knew where this was going. "You didn't," he said.

"I was doing good at first," Kisame quickly said. "I made a couple of good investments. Barnes and Nobel went up after they released their Kindle, and Samsung, which also had a nice spike in prices."

"I'm waiting for a 'but'," Suigetsu said.

"I got some advice from my broker," Kisame told me. "He told me about a fund that I could buy hundreds of stock for dirt cheap, and it was going to return huge profits. He said it was just days away from signing with Viacom or Warner Brothers…I forget which one."

"You were going to trade on _insider information_?" Suigetsu asked angrily. "I'm not even a _business major_ and I know that's illegal!"

"The deal fell through," Kisame said softly. "I invested almost all of it in there."

"How much do we have left?" Suigetsu asked, trying not to be extremely angry.

"Very little," Kisame admitted, not looking at Suigetsu. "I did the numbers, and we can still get by. We'd have to drop out of school for a little while, and we'd have to sell this house and move to an apartment in the city, but we can get by. We'll need jobs of course, but –"

"How could you let this happen!" Suigetsu exclaimed loudly and angrily. "Mom and Dad _trusted_ you to take care of me and the money! Even _I'm_ not so irresponsible as to let us lose _thousands_ of dollars on the stock market! Especially in this economy!"

"You don't have to tell me that!" Kisame exclaimed. "Don't you think I know that?"

"How long has this been going on?" Suigetsu asked, causing Kisame to avert his eyes again. "How long?" he demanded, a little more loudly this time.

"It's been a few months," Kisame admitted, still looking at the floor, away from Suigetsu's eyes.

"A few months!" Suigetsu repeated angrily. "How long were you going to keep this from me?"

"Look, I've consulted a real estate agent who valued this house at $1.2 million," Kisame continued, ignoring Suigetsu's question. "I've found a nice two-bedroom apartment with a good amount of room and it's near the center of the city. And we have someone willing to buy the house for more than market value."

"So you just wanted to tell me that you're selling the house and I'm not going back to school next semester," Suigetsu angrily accused. "You're such an asshole!"

"I know," Kisame said. "But I'm going to put aside money for our school, and if we can just go one semester working instead of studying, I think we'll be able to pull together enough money to finish at least our undergraduate degrees."

Suigetsu couldn't speak. He was so fucking angry he couldn't stand it. Wordlessly, he turned and walked right out of the bedroom, passing Deidara, Hidan and Itachi in the hallway. He looked at the time and saw that the guests were going to start arriving any minute now, and noticed four people already there: Kiba, Gaara, Sasuke and Naruto.

"Hey guys," Suigetsu said, plastering a grin on his face and trying to ignore his anger. "Glad you could make it."

"Well, Gaara said 'party', and that was that," Kiba said with a shrug as he made his way over to the chips.

"Suigetsu," Sasuke said, nodding his head towards the door. As Naruto and Gaara went to join Kiba at the food, Sasuke pulled Suigetsu aside. "What are you going to do about Hinata?"

"We need to talk," Suigetsu said quietly. "But whatever happens, it's between her and I."

"I swear, if you make things harder on her –," Sasuke began.

"I won't," Suigetsu assured him. Sasuke gave him a look, measuring his sincerity, before nodding and following Suigetsu. The two walked out the door in time to see Sakura arrive with Ino. After giving a quick greeting, Suigetsu and Sasuke walked around the front of the house towards the side, where they were able to climb up to a small alcove.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked when they finally sat down. Suigetsu only brought people up here when they needed to have a serious conversation that couldn't be overheard. In response to Sasuke's question, Suigetsu threw his head back in aggravation.

"It's not bad enough that I might have a child support," Suigetsu began. "I just found out that my brother gambled away our entire fortune on some shitty insider information about some _fucking_ stock." Sasuke was silent. He didn't really know what to say. After all, this wasn't a situation he was confronted with every day.

"When did you find out?" Sasuke asked.

"Just now," Suigetsu said, resting his head on the wall behind him. "I have no idea what I'm going to do now. We're going to sell the mansion, I guess, but most of that money'll go towards an apartment and paying off the debt he got us into. And then with child support added on there…" he trailed off. "How could this happen?"

Sasuke stayed silent, so Suigetsu continued. "I mean, I don't want to sound like a spoiled brat, but this fucking sucks! My entire life, there was never a single problem with money. I don't know how to handle this. How do I live _without it_?" He paused, waiting for Sasuke to answer, but he guessed that Sasuke was still being quiet. "I mean, I've never had to budget. I've never had to think about needing anything that I couldn't afford."

"I could help you out," Sasuke said quietly in a tone that suggested he was bored with the conversation. "Between my parents and my uncle, I've inherited more money than I know what to do with. I'll never need all the money I have. Hell, I'll probably never need _half_ of it."

"I couldn't just take money from you," Suigetsu said with a groan. "That's not what I brought you here for. I just needed to talk to someone about this. You're my friend…one of the few I really have."

"Which is why you should accept my offer," Sasuke said. "I'd just give you enough to keep the house, or something. You can just pay me back when you have money again."

"But I _won't_ have money again," Suigetsu said. "I can't even think about this right now. This is all just happening so fast."

"If you don't want to talk about it, then why did you bring me here?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know," Suigetsu admitted. "I'm freaking out."

"Let's go back to the party," Sasuke said, standing up and holding out a hand to help Suigetsu up. "It's time to celebrate. Our first semester's over, it's winter break. We have time to worry about money after tonight."

Suigetsu nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I should just enjoy tonight and worry later."

"That's the spirit," Sasuke said with a smirk as the two began to walk back towards the front of the house.

"You know, it's a shame you never got over Naruto," Suigetsu mused. "You really would make a pretty good boyfriend." Sasuke decided to not even warrant that a response.

When they re-entered the party, they saw everyone was there – including, somewhat surprisingly, Neji and Hinata. Neji caught Sasuke's eye and began to approach. Sensing this, Suigetsu mumbled something about more fruit punch and scattered off.

"I didn't expect you to show up," Sasuke said with a shrug as he accepted a cup of the punch from Neji.

"I don't really want to be here, to be honest," Neji said. "But Sakura threatened me if I didn't come, and it's really too much of a bother to argue with her. Besides," he said after a moment, "making Suigetsu uncomfortable by being here is worth it."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Neji's comment, but took a drink from the punch anyway. He was grateful that Suigetsu hadn't put any alcohol in the punch. It was hell to find a dry college party.

"How's Hinata handling…things?" Sasuke asked tentatively.

"She's as fine as she can be," Neji said with a shrug. "There's only so great she can be while her father continues to be a stubborn ass to her."

"He'll come around," Sasuke said. "I can't imagine a parent hating their child over something so trivial." Suddenly, Sasuke was reminded of his own parents and the video tape he'd seen. He looked over at Hinata. _Pregnant_. It was almost enough to make him sick.

"I don't know about the Uchiha, but the Hyuga value honor above all else," Neji said bitterly. "I can't help but feel responsible for this entire ordeal."

"It would have come out eventually," Sasuke said. "Hinata told me she plans on keeping the baby." Neji nodded.

"I just don't see how she could raise a child by herself and still go to school," Neji said, sounding very concerned. "And then there's _Suigetsu_," he said, spitting the name out like it was poisonous, "who –"

"Hold on," Sasuke interrupted. "Suigetsu's going through a lot too. I think in the end, he'll do the right thing by Hinata."

"He better," Neji said.

* * *

Just over an hour later, Gaara was pretty much done with the festivities. He was never really a big partier, believe it or not. Regardless, Kiba was still having a good time, so he wouldn't leave just yet. As if struck by the thought, he began looking for his boyfriend, only to not see him.

"He's out back spiking his punch," Sakura said matter-of-factly as she sat down next to Gaara. "I believe his exact words were 'Just because Sasuke's a lush doesn't mean _I_ can't have fun'." Gaara snorted, despite the fact that he expressly asked Kiba to _not_ bring booze. As if on cue, Kiba entered the room a little tipsy, and began dancing with a lamp. "Oh, that was about an hour ago. He's probably ten sheets to the wind by now."

"I can tell," Gaara drawled.

"You sure lucked out, huh?" Sakura teased.

"Shut up," Gaara said with a roll of his eyes.

"No, I'm serious," Sakura said, suddenly sounding less carefree. "You really do need someone to pull the stick out of your ass. So does Sasuke. You two never have any fun. Look at Kiba." Gaara did just that, and immediately regretted it when he felt a pang of irrational jealousy as Kiba pecked a kiss on the lampshade and stroked the back of the shade. Wait a sec…he's jealous…of a lamp?

"He really is something," Sakura continued. "He's just what you need. Silly, carefree, and probably a huge romantic."

"Yeah, he is," Gaara said, recalling their date when Kiba made mac n' cheese in his backyard for the two of them.

_"Kiba, where are you taking me?" Gaara asked as they continued their drive to wherever Kiba was taking him._

_"It's a surprise," Kiba said with a smile as the car started to accelerate some more. It only took a few minutes to get to their destination, which was a pretty big house. The lights were out, and there were no cars in the driveway._

_"Where are we?" Gaara asked as Kiba opened his car door for him. As he stepped out, Kiba made a large sweeping motion with his arm and smiled broadly._

_"Welcome to Chez Inuzuka," Kiba said with a smile on his face. "My mom and sister are out seeing the new Twilight movie, so I decided to have our date here." Kiba led Gaara, instead of to the front door, to the gate that led to their back yard. Gaara shrugged and followed him into the back yard, and was surprised at what he saw._

_On the open lawn, there was a table for two set up. It had what was obviously a nice tablecloth, with a single candle in the middle. There were two covered trays in front of each of the chairs. Gaara couldn't help but smile at the romantic gesture. And it was a perfect day to eat outside. It had ceased to be warm like the summer, but had yet to become frigid._

Gaara couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"Hello?" Sakura called out, snapping Gaara from his thoughts. She waved her hands in front of his face. "Earth to Gaara."

"I'm here," he said, lowering her hands for her.

"You were just spacing out," she said amusedly. "I've never seen you space out."

"I was just thinking of our last date," Gaara said with a small smile. "It was back in mid-November – we've been so busy lately, I can't believe we haven't been out on a date in over a month! – and Kiba and I had just had a little bit of a fight."

"Over what?" Sakura asked. Gaara thought back and remembered exactly what. They had found out that Naruto and Sasuke were together, and Kiba started to get all jealous and bitchy about it. And then Gaara was pissed off at _him_, so he didn't answer his phone calls, and…well, it was just a disaster all around.

"Nothing big," Gaara replied, waving his hand dismissively. "But he decided to make it up to me by bringing me to his house. He had this whole set up out back – a table-for-two with a candle in the middle and a vase of flowers, some of the best Easy Mac I've ever had, and a dog who kept trying to jump on my lap."

"Aww," Sakura cooed. "That's so cute! I wish _I_ could find someone so romantic." Suddenly, her mood darkened, and Gaara heard her mutter "Of course, all the good ones are gay."

"If he was really such a romantic, he wouldn't be dancing with an inanimate object," Gaara said with a smirk, indicating his boyfriend. It seemed like if that lamp was a person, then it'd already be reaching second base with his boyfriend by now. "I guess that's my cue to take him home," Gaara said, standing up. "I'll see ya around."

* * *

Finally, about two hours into the party, Naruto managed to find Sasuke again. If he knew when he got there that he'd lose Sasuke for the remainder of the party, he would never have let go of him. It seems Sasuke caught sight of Naruto as well, because he jerked his head in the direction of the staircase. Naruto nodded as Sasuke ascended, making his way over as well.

When he got to the top of the staircase, Naruto looked around for Sasuke, but couldn't see him. Figuring there were only two directions he could have gone, Naruto turned down the left side, looking through each open doorway to see if Sasuke was in one of the rooms.

Suddenly, he was jerked back into a dark room, and pressed against the wall. His first instinct was panic, which went away when he heard his kidnapper's voice.

"You haven't given me a kiss all night," Sasuke said with a smirk as his arms encircled Naruto. "And look at where we are," he said titling his head up. Naruto followed his head up to see a small plant hanging in the doorway.

"Mistletoe," Naruto breathed. "I guess it's time to give you that kiss, then, huh?" he asked with a smirk. Without another word, he felt Sasuke's mouth cover his, and Naruto immediately opened up, giving Sasuke access to his inner cavern.

As Sasuke entered Naruto's mouth with his tongue, Naruto placed his hands on Sasuke's sides, rubbing up and down. They continued to kiss, and Naruto pushed Sasuke's shirt up slightly to allow himself to touch his boyfriend's stomach. Sasuke had similar thoughts, placing his hands on his boyfriend's butt and pressing Naruto into him. Their growing arousals met through their jeans, and Sasuke almost scoffed. Hadn't they just gotten off on each other hours ago.

Regardless, they probably would have gotten each other off again if they hadn't heard a shocked gasp from the hallway. They immediately jumped apart, Sasuke still in the doorway, but Naruto inside the dark room.

"I-I'm sorry Sasuke," Hinata said. "I…didn't know you were here."

"It's okay," Sasuke said, somewhat relieved that she hadn't seen that it was _Naruto_ he was kissing. Thank heavens for dark rooms.

"I didn't know you were dating anyone," she said. "Congratulations." She peaked inside, presumably to see who it was Sasuke was just sucking face with, when her face froze at the sight of bright, blue eyes. "N-Naruto?" she choked.

"Hinata," Sasuke began, but he was interrupted before he could explain.

"There you are, Hinata!" came Neji's voice from down the hall. Sasuke briefly turned to look at Naruto, and they exchanged an "Oh, fuck" glance as Neji made his way to the doorway. "I've been looking all over for you." He looked over at Sasuke with a confused face. "What's with you?"

It was then that Sasuke noticed that in the passion of their make-out session, Naruto had unbuttoned the bottom three buttons of Sasuke's shirt, leaving his mid-riff exposed. He was pretty sure that the collar looked off and he carried that 'I just got the fuck kissed out of me' look.

"Hinata, I can explain," Sasuke said, hoping to curtail this before it exploded.

"What's going on?" Neji asked confusedly. He looked past Sasuke and saw what looked like a familiar blonde haircut. "Naruto?" He looked from Naruto to Sasuke. "Wh–" Sasuke closed his eyes, not wanting to see the realization cross Neji's face. "No!" Sasuke opened his eyes again and nodded.

"H-How long?" Hinata asked quietly, and suddenly, Sasuke felt guilt stab at him once more. He didn't want to answer. All he wanted to do was let the world swallow him up. Please, if there is any merciful god, let the world swallow him up.

It was Naruto who answered. "Halloween."

Hinata did exactly what Sasuke wanted to do and ran away. Lucky her, she was able to momentarily escape. Sasuke was stuck here looking at Neji's enraged face. He never saw the veins on Neji's eyes pop exactly like they did now. It was kind of intimidating.

"I can't _fucking_ believe you," Neji yelled. "I'm trying not to be mad. I'm _really_ trying. But I can't help it. How dare you fuck her boyfriend and then still call yourself her friend. How could you look her in the eye knowing that you broke her heart!"

"It's not like that," Sasuke said. "You know that I've felt like this about Naruto for –"

"And you!" Neji shouted at Naruto, ignoring Sasuke's words. "I _asked_ you if you really had feelings for Hinata. I _specifically asked you_ if you weren't interested in Sasuke, and you told me yes!"

"I didn't mean to hurt her," Naruto pleaded, stepping out into the light.

"You two are the reason that she slept with Suigetsu in the first place," Neji said. "As far as I'm concerned, you two are just as much at fault for this as Suigetsu is. I hope you're happy." He turned to walk away, but Sasuke chased him.

"Neji, wait," he said, grabbing Neji's wrist. But Neji just pulled himself free.

"I can't even look at you," he said, shaking his head. "You're nothing but a backstabber."

* * *

It was hard. No, it was _really_ hard. To hear those words come out of Neji's mouth. And he knew in a way it was true. I mean, it wasn't all his fault. He _did_ have feelings for Naruto first, and it's not like he pushed Hinata into bed with Suigetsu, but there was still so much guilt. He knew from the very moment that Naruto suggested that they keep their relationship secret that something like this would happen, but he was just thoroughly surprised it happened now.

Sasuke and Naruto left the party, but Sasuke knew that people already knew. Word spread fast. Sakura wanted to talk to him. So did Suigetsu. But really, he couldn't handle this anymore. So much was going on right now, and he couldn't deal with this drama. Of all the shit he has to deal with, he doesn't need the drama on top of that.

That was why, instead of going back to their dorm, they drove with the bags they'd packed earlier and headed to the airport. There, they would exchange their tickets to New York for tomorrow evening and get some on the next flight out. That's what they needed – a vacation.

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	30. The City That Never Sleeps

**Disclaimer: Would you look at that? I don't own Naruto! Gasp!**

**This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Thirty: The City That Never Sleeps

Sasuke was pretty upset when he woke up to an empty bed, the other side having been vacated a good, long time ago. It took a few minutes for him to remember exactly where he was, and when it came to him, he got confused. He and Naruto were on vacation in New York City – where could the blond have gone?

He slowly sat up, placing his feet on the ground as he readied himself to stand up. Before actually standing up, however, he looked at the clock on the nightstand, which was telling Sasuke that it was around 7:30pm. The sky outside the window was dark, but the city was bright with lights. Sasuke understood why it was called 'The City That Never Sleeps'. Although, judging by the clock, it seemed Sasuke slept enough for the rest of the city.

After leaving the party last night, Sasuke and Naruto grabbed their bags and went straight to the airport. They traded in their tickets for the red-eye flight, and got into La Guardia Airport at 4:30. A half hour later, they found themselves in a suite in the Hilton, and Sasuke was passed out on the bed before Naruto even put his bags down.

Sasuke reached over to his phone on the nightstand, intent on calling Naruto to find out where he was when he saw a note, scrawled in the familiar penmanship that set him more at ease. _'Heard about a great Chinese place nearby. Went to get food for when you wake up. Be back soon.'_

Suddenly, Sasuke's stomach growled as the realization that he hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours sat in. He laid back down, deciding to ride out his hunger on the comfortable king-sized bed that was situated in the back of the room. He briefly wondered how long ago Naruto had left. He hoped it was a while ago, so that he'd be back with the food soon.

He didn't have to wait long before he heard some shuffling outside the room and the door flung open to reveal Naruto, holding three bags of Chinese food.

"How many people do you plan on feeding?" Sasuke asked incredulously as he saw how much food Naruto had brought.

"Good morning, Sleepy Head," Naruto replied, placing the three bags on the table in the middle. "I don't know about you, but I could eat a small horse right now. You're probably worse since you didn't have lunch and you _refused_ to eat at the airport."

"Their food is overpriced and disgusting," Sasuke replied evenly. "An airport as small as Konoha's doesn't even have any good chains inside."

"There was a McDonald's!" Naruto argued.

"I said _good_," Sasuke said, putting an end to the argument. He stood up with a slight groan – he felt a small pain in his back and rationalized that he must have slept funny – and walked over to Naruto, who seemed to be setting up a small buffet on the table.

"I've never seen you sleep so much," Naruto commented as he dumped the nearly-empty bag over the center of the table, the duck sauce, soy sauce, and fortune cookies spilling out.

"Something about the uncomfortable flight and the whole way the evening went down seemed to exhaust me," Sasuke commented, and a silence fell over them. The entire drive to the airport and subsequent flight to the city, neither had said a word about Neji or Hinata or anyone in Konoha. "Let's just not talk about it, alright? This is our vacation, and I want it to be stress-free."

"So you don't plan on looking for Hashirama Senju anymore?" Naruto challenged with his eyebrow raised. Sasuke was silent as he bit into his pork bun, the succulent flavor assaulting his mouth. He closed his eyes for a slight moment before opening them back up to reply to his boyfriend.

"Why don't we do that tomorrow?" Sasuke asked. "We can get the most stressful part of the trip over with, and then we can focus the rest of our time here on us."

"Sure," Naruto said as he wrapped his lo mein on his fork. The meal continued for another short time with just the sound of Naruto slurping his noodles and Sasuke's spoon clanging against the bowl that contained wonton soup. Eventually, Naruto spoke up again. "I couldn't help but notice that we're only a couple of blocks from the Langone Medical Center."

"I prefer the Hilton to many of the other hotel chains," Sasuke said with a shrug. "The fact that it's within walking distance from Langone is purely coincidental." Naruto nodded his understanding, and the silence returned once more.

Again, it was Naruto who broke it. "Just promise me this, Sasuke," he said, his voice filling with emotion. Sasuke stopped eating to focus his full attention on Naruto. "Promise me that no matter what Dr. Senju says or doesn't say, you won't let it affect our vacation."

"I promise," Sasuke said almost immediately, pulling Naruto into a kiss. He noticed as he let his tongue explore Naruto's mouth that he particularly liked the taste of Chinese food mixed with Naruto's natural taste. It's too bad Konoha didn't have many good Chinese restaurants. It only had two Japanese places and one Thai place, and they were mostly shit.

After their kiss, the meal continued with little event. Naruto had decided that they should watch a movie, choosing Bridesmaids. He promptly fell asleep in the middle, having not slept at all that day. Sasuke, however, still recovering from his 12+ hour nap, stayed up much longer, finishing that movie and two more before finally deciding to try and get an hour or sleep before tomorrow.

* * *

Suigetsu was in a bad mood, and the piercing look he was getting from that pale-eyed, black-haired, rich-ass motherfucker wasn't improving it. Jeez, Suigetsu could understand why Hiashi Hyuga liked to flash his money everywhere, but did he have to do it so obnoxiously?

"Do you enjoy the wine?" Hiashi asked, pouring himself a glass of scotch. Of course it was the good stuff, too. Not that he could complain; the wine Hiashi had just given him was pretty fuckin' nice. Suigetsu wondered how many years it would be until _he_ could afford things like that wine again.

"It's fine," Suigetsu said shortly. "I was under the impression that you brought me here for a reason other than to partake in wine with you." Suigetsu couldn't help the bitterness from coming out in his voice. It was bad enough that he had to deal with everything going on around him without being summoned to the Hyuga Mansion by some butler. Especially when the butler made it quite clear that this wasn't an _invitation_ or a _request_, but rather a summons. Pompous ass.

"Very astute," Hiashi said with a nod. "Why don't we sit down?"

"I'm fine here, thanks," Suigetsu said. The two were standing in the Hyuga study, all alone. All the servants were elsewhere, and Neji was somewhere with Gaara and Sakura. He briefly wondered if Hiashi called him here to kill him without witnesses for what happened with Hinata.

"Very well," Hiashi said, placing the half-empty scotch glass back down on the bar. "I came here to offer you a proposal." Suigetu wanted to ask '_What kind of proposal_', but decided he should just remain silent and let Hiashi elaborate. "I understand you've recently found yourself in an unfortunate financial situation."

Suigetsu couldn't help but widen his eyes after hearing that Hiashi knew of his money problems. Then again, rich people were able to buy that sort of information.

"What's it to you?" Suigetsu asked, not wanting to talk to the richest guy in the city about money problems.

"I wouldn't be so impatient, Suigetsu – can I call you Suigetsu?" he asked, obviously feigning politeness. Suigetsu knew that Hiashi didn't like him any more than he liked Hiashi.

"I'm sure that it wouldn't matter to you what I say, would it?" Suigetsu asked. He got a little more annoyed by the smirk that Hiashi gave him.

"I suppose it wouldn't, _Suigetsu_," he said. "I was just going to offer you a way to get out of your financial situation." As much as he disliked the man, Suigetsu was somewhat intrigued, as well as put off that he was considering taking a handout. "You and your brother can keep your house, stay in school, and live in luxury for the foreseeable future once more."

"I find it hard to believe you would give me so much without expecting something in return," Suigetsu said, hoping that whatever Hiashi asked wouldn't be too steep. After all, his house was worth more than his pride.

"You've brought disgrace and dishonor to my family," Hiashi said, the faux-pleasant socialite dissolving in front of his eyes, replaced by an angry father. "You impregnated my daughter and left her to raise your illegitimate child in shame."

"So, what do you want me to do about it?" Suigetsu asked.

"You will marry my daughter before the birth of her child," Hiashi said. "In return, you get your house back, you can keep attending school, and you will receive a generous allowance from the family fund. One day, you may even play a part in the operation of Hyuga Corp. Of course, as her husband you may only share your bed with her, and you shall not do anything to further disgrace my family name."

It was a lot to take in, and somewhat unexpected. At the same time, however it figures that Hiashi would only be doing this for his family's honor. He didn't even seem to be doing it for Hinata's benefit. It was all he could to not spit the offer back up in Hiashi's face.

On the other hand, it would offer Suigetsu the financial way out of the mess his brother created. It was a tempting offer. He could still get a degree, and his financial needs would always be taken care of. Even if he managed to blow through however much money Hiashi would give as an allowance, he knew that Hiashi wouldn't let Hinata or their child starve. Complete and total financial security was the option.

"I understand it's a lot to take in," Hiashi said. "I expect your answer within the week."

"It's certainly a lot to think about," Suigetsu said, deciding not to continue to be a smart-ass until he'd decided to burn this bridge. "I'll see myself out." He placed the wine glass down and passed Hiashi towards the exit. However, as he left the room, Hiashi's voice followed him.

"Fair warning, Suigetsu," Hiashi said. "Should you refuse my offer, I'll have you arrested for raping my daughter." Suigetsu turned around abruptly and opened his mouth to argue when he was silenced. "Believe me, date rape still counts as rape in a court of law."

Suigetsu snarled. Hiashi had him pretty good. The plan itself was fool-proof. Either Suigetsu married Hinata, gaining money and restoring whatever honor the Hyuga's lost, or he would go to jail and become a registered sex-offender for the rest of his life.

"You're not really giving me a choice then, are you?" Suigetsu asked.

"Of course you have a choice," Hiashi said with an evil smirk on his face. "You can choose whether the ceremony is performed by a minister or a justice of the peace. Frankly, I'm one for a minister, but that decision can be _entirely_ up to you."

* * *

The hallways of NYU's Langone Medical Center were cool, and they smelled sterile. That was something that, in Sasuke's experience, most hospitals were similar in. The receptionist at the front desk on the first floor of the hospital had told Sasuke and Naruto that Dr. Senju's office was on the seventh floor, the neurology wing. That was the exact wing that they were walking through, hoping that this excursion would yield answers to their questions.

It wasn't hard to find Dr. Senju's office. All Sasuke had to do was ask a nurse on the floor to point them in the direction, and they were off. Sasuke stopped short when they arrived at the office, causing Naruto to almost crash into him. Sasuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning into the office, knocking on the open door to announce his arrival.

Senju Hashirama looked up from his desk at the knock. Sasuke noted that the picture on the hospital website looked nothing like the man that sat before him. In the picture, Dr. Senju looked much younger. It seemed that the last few years hadn't been kind to the doctor. His hair, which had been black, if the website's picture was an indication, was now a silver grey. Where the picture on the website showed a clean-shaven, chipper man, the person sitting before him had a 5 o'clock shadow and bags under his eyes. Papers were spread about his desk in a fashion that made Naruto's desk look neat. All in all, Senju Hashirama looked like a mess.

"Can I help you?" the doctor asked with a strong voice. He sounded much better than he looked. At the invitation, Sasuke entered the room, followed closely by Naruto. The two sat in the two open chairs across the desk from Dr. Senju, and Sasuke extended his hand.

"The name's Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke said, accepting Dr. Senju's hand in a handshake when it was offered.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto," Naruto said, taking Dr. Senju's hand right after Sasuke.

"Uchiha," Dr. Senju pondered a moment. "You're Madara's nephew, right?"

Sasuke was slightly taken aback. He figured the last name would be familiar to Dr. Senju, but he didn't expect the doctor to know the exact relation. If he knew who Sasuke was, then he had to have had some contact with Madara after college. Sasuke nodded at the doctor's question. "How do you know my uncle?" He figured he'd better see how much more there was to Madara's relationship with his classmate.

"We were in college together," Hashirama said quietly. "Roommates. At John Hopkin's."

"You had to have been in contact with him recently to know my name," Sasuke commented, trying to gauge Dr. Senju's reaction. "I wasn't even born when you were at school together."

"We've been in contact from time to time," Dr. Senju said. "It's a great thing to keep contact with your friends. You look like you're in high school or college, correct?" Sasuke nodded. "At some point, you will grow away from some – possibly even many – of your current friends. You won't hate each other or get into fights, but…just drift apart. It's nice to have someone who you've been friends with for a while, someone who won't drift apart from you."

Sasuke eyed Naruto from the corner of his eye before focusing back on Dr. Senju. "So would you say that you two were close?" he asked.

"About as close as one could safely be with someone of his profession," Dr. Senju commented. "Doubtless, you know what he did for a living."

Sasuke nodded, but gave a confused look. "But he hasn't been involved in that for a while."

"Of course," Dr. Senju said quickly. "But still, even decades after leaving the profession, your uncle still had enemies. And when you get too close to people with enemies, well…I'm sure you know it doesn't always end well."

Sasuke felt a tightening in his chest. He had a feeling that Dr. Senju knew a lot about Madara, just from this conversation. To know that he was involved in organized crime…few people knew that about his uncle. And he obviously knew about Sasuke's parents' deaths; he just hinted as much.

"If I recall correctly, you live pretty far away," Dr. Senju mused, sitting back in his chair. "You're quite a long way from home, Uchiha Sasuke. I'm sure you didn't come all this way for some idle chit-chat."

"You're right," Sasuke said, pulling out the key card from his pocket and placing it on the table. "What do you know about _The Sharingan Project_?" The slight smirk that played on Dr. Senju's face instantly evaporated, and his demeanor grew dark.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said, giving the key card an eye. Sasuke knew instantly from the way Hashirama avoided eye contact and changed his demeanor that he was hiding something. "What's this?" he asked, picking up the key card and eyeing the words carefully.

"It's a key card that my Uncle Madara left me in his will," Sasuke said.

"What does it open?" Hashirama asked. Suddenly, Sasuke felt like the one being interrogated, not the interrogator. This was not going as planned.

"We were hoping you would tell us," Sasuke said, giving Dr. Senju a pointed look. "Uncle Madara also left me a slip of paper that had your name next to The Sharingan Project."

"I have no idea why he would do that," Dr. Senju said quietly. Sasuke was fuming. He knew that Naruto was sitting there with a concerned look on his face, purposely staying out of this, and Sasuke was grateful. It was all he could do to not punch that smug liar sitting across from him.

"I think you do," Sasuke said boldly. "I don't know what this 'Sharingan Project' that you're working on is, but I know that Madara wanted me to know about it." Dr. Senju was quiet for a moment, so Sasuke continued. "I have a feeling that you and Madara are more than just roommates and friends. You two were doing something, and I will find out what it is, and how it relates to the Sharingan Project."

"Then I wish you luck," Dr. Senju said pointedly. "I'm confident you know your way out," he said, indicating the door. After giving a small glare, Sasuke stood up, followed by Naruto. As they walked out the door, a short, redhaired nurse walked into the office.

"Dr. Senju, you're needed in OR 2 right now," she said, her voice echoing down the hall. "Car crash victim –"

"I'm on my way," his voice rang out, as he left his office. Sasuke pulled Naruto into an open exam room before Hashirama could see either of them, and waited until the foot steps were faded before he allowed himself and Naruto to exit the room.

"What was that?" Naruto asked.

"He's lying," Sasuke said. "He knows what the Sharingan Project is, and I bet you there's some information in his office or on his computer. He stalked off towards the closed door to the office, and tried to open the door. To his dismay, he found it locked. "Shit."

"Move over," Naruto said, lightly shoving Sasuke out of the way. He reached into his pocket and found a paper clip. He slowly started to bend it in a certain way that Sasuke couldn't quite understand. After twisting and turning various parts of the metal clip, Naruto stuck one end inside.

"That won't work," Sasuke said. "Paper clips don't work for those kinds of locks. You wasting your ti–" Sasuke was cut off by the sound of a click inside the doorknob. He sneered as Naruto showed off a victorious smirk, pulling the paper clip back out and waving it around. "Shut up," he said, opening the door and walking inside.

"I believe the words you're looking for are 'Thank you so much, honey bunny. What would I do without you?'"

"'Honey bunny'?" Sasuke asked. "I'm just surprised _you_ would know how to pick locks."

"When your best friend is Inuzuka Kiba, you learn a few good tricks," Naruto said. That was the last of the talking for a while as they split up to find something else. Naruto went to unlock a filing cabinet with his lock-picking skills, while Sasuke shuffled through some papers on the desk, looking for the logo that was on the keycard of three tomoe in a circular shape.

He pulled out paper upon paper that belonged to the hospital, about patients or doctors or nurses, but nothing about the Sharingan Project. He opened a couple of drawers that also yielded no result. Frustrated and ready to give up, Sasuke slammed the last drawer shut.

"I found something," Naruto called, getting Sasuke's attention. Sasuke marched towards the filing cabinet and looked over Naruto's shoulder at the contents. Inside were tons of manila folders, that each had the same thing on the top tab. _Sharingan Project, Patient X,_ followed by a certain month. There was one as recent as last month, and they seemed to go on further and further. Naruto opened the drawer below that one, and the dates continued back, all the way to 1999. Each month was in order, going from newest to oldest.

Starting with months April 2001 and earlier, the titles said _Patients X,Z_, and starting with December 1999, the titles said _Patients X,Y,Z_. Sasuke pulled out a random file labeled _Sharingan Project, Patients X,Z, Mar 2000_, and began to read.

_01/03/2001: No Change in Patient X seems to be fully recovered from the pregnancy and loss of child. The stem cells seem to be properly converting to nerve cells. Patient Z seems to have recovered from the trauma of the accident, and is currently in a vegetative state. There is little brain activity, and little chance of recovery._

_02/03/2001: No change in Patient X. No change in Patient Z._

_03/03/2001: No change in Patient X. No change in Patient Z._

This continued on until the entry dated _17/03/2001_.

_17/03/2001: Patient X introduced to new drug, Liopothin. Patient Z introduced to new drug Liopothin. Enzymes present in Liopothin are to be introduced to Sharingan Drug._

Sasuke stared at the paper, confused as to what the file meant. Apparently, the Sharingan Project was testing some drug. From what he saw, there seemed to have been three patients in the beginning, but one died in December 1999, and another in April 2001. The first chart was the month of November 1999, which Sasuke noted in the back of his mind was the same month that his parents died.

This was all starting to get a little weird for Sasuke. He had no idea what the Sharingan Project had to do with him. Why did Madara seem to _want_ him to find out about it?

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked quietly. Sasuke looked up and saw Naruto holding the key-card for the Sharingan Project in his hand. Sasuke burrowed his brow, wondering when he had time to drop it. He knew he pocketed it before Dr. Senju left the office. His hand went unconsciously to the pocket he had kept it in, and felt the presence of another card key there.

"He has his own key," Sasuke realized.

"He gathers data about this project every day," Naruto observed from the files. "He has a card key, which means that he has access to wherever the patient for this is. He probably goes after his shift is over."

"So?" Sasuke asked, feeling stupid that he couldn't understand what Naruto was getting at.

"There's a board out there that has the shifts of the doctors on duty today," Naruto said, indicating the hallway. "We find out when he gets off, and follow him to wherever this place it that these patients are. We'll get answers there."

Sasuke had to admit that this was a pretty solid plan. He nodded and replaced the folders that he and Naruto were holding. Since Naruto didn't know how to lock the file cabinet, they just closed them and hoped that Dr. Senju wouldn't get too suspicious of it. They left the room and noted that Dr. Senju's shift ended at 3:30.

"How do we know which car is his?" Sasuke whispered to him as they walked back towards the elevator. Naruto thought for a moment before walking over towards the nurse's station.

"Is Dr. Senju here?" Naruto asked innocently to one of the nurses.

"He's in surgery right now," the petite, blonde nurse said. "Can I take a message?"

"I think I saw someone crash into his car in the parking garage," Naruto said innocently. "I told the woman at the front desk downstairs, and she told me that the description of the car matched Dr. Senju's."

"What's the description?" the nurse asked.

"A black Hyundai Sonata," Naruto said, the first car that came to mind. The nurse shook her head.

"No, Dr. Senju drives a silver Honda Civic," she said sweetly.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Naruto said, walking away. "I must have been mistaken, then." He turned to Sasuke, who had waited, watching the scene. Quietly, he said, "Now we just have to find a silver Honda Civic."

"Thank you so much, honey bunny," Sasuke said with a smirk. "What would I do without you?"

* * *

Itachi growled as he pressed the 'End' button on his phone. This was the third time he'd tried to call Sasuke, and it was the third time his call was ignored. Don't get him wrong – he and Sasuke never were all that close. Even after their parents' deaths, they were distant at best. But Itachi was still allowed to worry after the scene that occurred two days ago at Suigetsu's Holiday Party.

"Lighten up, Itachi," Deidara said, sticking his cotton candy in Itachi's face. Itachi bent his back backwards so he could avoid a face-full of spun sugar. "It's a carnival, have some fun."

"I don't know _why_ I let you drag me to this," Itachi said with a monotonous voice. He used his hand to lower Deidara's arm, allowing him to walk normally without getting the sticky cotton candy on his face. He walked alongside Deidara, Sasori, Kisame, and Hidan with a frown on his face.

In truth, Itachi _did_ know why he let Deidara drag them to the carnival. He had spent the last twenty-four hours worrying about where Sasuke had gone – a worry that exponentially increased when he found out that Naruto was nowhere to be found and neither had slept in their room last night. As annoying as the carnival was, Itachi needed a distraction. And of course, as soon as Itachi folded, everyone else surrendered to the idea of going to the carnival. Except, of course, for Hidan, but that was because he had to work.

At this point, however, Itachi was regretting his decision. Not only did the carnival _not_ distract him from his worry, but it also gave him another annoyance to add to the list. Deidara was annoyingly cheerful, and Hidan was surprisingly upbeat today. Sasori was his usual self – boring as wood – and Kisame seemed to be distracted by something as well. Suddenly, Itachi had an idea.

"Kisame, come ride the roller coaster with me," he said. It wasn't a question. Kisame nodded and walked with Itachi towards the coaster, Deidara, Sasori, and Hidan right behind them. As they handed the operator their tickets and buckled in, Itachi asked, "so what's got you so contemplative today?"

Kisame was silent until the car they sat in gave a lurch and they began to move forward.

"Suigetsu had a meeting with Hyuga Hiashi," Kisame said. Itachi was quiet, silently urging Kisame to continue. "He basically threatened to have Suigetsu arrested for rape if he doesn't marry Hinata to restore her 'honor'."

"That's…rough," Itachi said, not knowing what else to say. He was pretty sure that Hiashi would try to find some way to 'restore honor to the family'. Hyugas were big on honor. Uchihas were too, but Itachi let that way of thinking die with his parents. Imagine what sort of trouble Sasuke would have after the party if he had to uphold some ancient family honor. Suddenly, his idea to distract himself by worrying about something else seemed to fail.

"Yeah," Kisame said. "We tried to get a lawyer to tell us whether or not he could really go to jail, but we couldn't find the money for a consultation."

"I'll help you if you need money," Itachi offered. "Did you even tell Suigetsu about the money yet?"

"I did the other night," Kisame said with a nod. "That's the kicker to this 'deal' that Hyuga's proposed. If he doesn't marry Hinata, he goes to jail, and if he does, he and I both get financial security for the rest of our lives, and we keep our house."

"At least there's that," Itachi offered as the two began the slow ascent to the top of the coaster. "He had Suigetsu caught between a rock and a hard place without throwing money at you guys. He just made that hard place a little softer."

"I guess," Kisame mumbled. "I just can't believe I put us in that situation."

"You didn't put you guys in that situation," Itachi said. "Hiashi still would have done this because Suigetsu slept with Hinata."

"You should have seen his face when I told him that we had to drop out of school and sell the house," Kisame said. They stayed silent as they reached the very top. Itachi could see Deidara's blond hair and Sasori's red hair from up here.

The car plunged down, and Itachi felt that miserable, yet exhilarating feeling of falling down the coaster. He was sorry for the position that Kisame and Suigetsu were in, yet somewhat relieved that someone was having as bad a day as he.

After the roller coaster, the five continued to walk around the carnival, trying to find something to do. Deidara stopped short right in front of Itachi, causing the raven to slam into him and knock him to the ground. As Sasori helped Deidara up, Deidara announced that he was bringing them to the fortune teller, pointing to a nearby tent. Itachi rolled his eyes, yet he followed, along with the rest of the gang.

The tent was darkly lit, giving off a sense of ambience. The fortune teller, Madame Lourrange, beckoned them over one at a time to give them predictions. Apparently, Deidara was going to strike it rich, Kisame was ripe to find love, and Sasori was going to have a successful career. Hidan refused to take part of the fortune-telling, claiming that the entire thing was nonsense. Itachi agreed, but for a different reason. While Hidan, religious as he is, believed that no one but God could tell the future, Itachi just believed all the supernatural hoo-ha was bull. Despite that belief, he went forward to satisfy Deidara.

"Show me your hand, child," the woman said. She was a fat, old woman with a fake mole on her cheek. She wore various silks of red, purple, and black, playing the psychic card for all it was worth. Itachi extended his hand, and she held it in her own. Her hands felt icy cold to the touch – colder than anything Itachi had felt before. She squeezed his hand, and their eyes met.

"You have the look, child," she said, sending a shiver down his spine. "I have seen you before, in another life." Itachi would almost laugh, if he wasn't so creeped out. "You. I have a special prediction for you." He could vaguely hear Deidara whining about getting special treatment, but he ignored it. Madame Lourrange lifted one of her long, purple fingernails, and lightly scratched a line from the bottom of Itachi's left eye to his chin. "Oh yes, I have definitely seen you before."

Itachi opened his mouth to protest, but she shut his lips with her hands, which were still near his face. "You are about to experience a great thing," Madame Lourrange said sagely. "Your life will soon become tumultuous, but it will be worth it in the end. I see a great event happening. Soon, the dead shall rise once more."

He didn't know why he did it, but he opened his mouth and asked, "When?" _Why did I even honor that with a response? 'Soon the dead shall rise once more.' What is this, a bad sci-fi movie?_

"Soon, child," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "Very, very soon."

* * *

After finding Dr. Senju's car in the parking lot, Sasuke parked across from it, settling in for a long wait until 3:00. At about a quarter after, Naruto pointed to Dr. Senju walking from the elevator to the car, and Sasuke sat up, ready to drive. He allowed Senju to get a little further ahead of him so that he didn't seem so overt, but he soon regretted the decision when he got stuck behind a red light as Dr. Senju drove forward.

"Damn it!" Sasuke exclaimed, pounding his fist on the steering wheel.

"Don't worry about it," Naruto said. "There's always tomorrow." Sasuke looked over to his boyfriend and raised an eyebrow.

"So you don't mind spending a little more time on this?" he asked.

"Not if you take me out for a date tonight," Naruto said with a smirk. Sasuke returned the smirk, looking forward as the light turned green.

"Deal," he said.

* * *

Naruto had no idea where he was.

And he loved it.

It seemed that when Sasuke decided to take him out on a date, he went all out. He spent most of the afternoon on the phone trying to arrange something special, but wouldn't tell Naruto what it was. Sasuke proceeded to disappear for an hour to "take care of some loose ends," leaving Naruto to an HBO movie with far too much boobs for his taste. When Sasuke finally returned at 5:45, he blindfolded Naruto and led him down to the streets of New York and into a cab.

He felt somewhat anxious about this. He knew that Sasuke just wanted whatever he'd put together to be a surprise, but there was something unnerving about being blindfolded in a cab in a big city that you don't know your way around. There are very few people who could convince Naruto to do this, and he guessed Sasuke was one of them.

He could feel the rumble of the engine. He could feel Sasuke's hand in his own. He could feel every turn the cab made, every stoplight they stopped at, and every time they sped up. He could smell through the cracked window in the back (why did Sasuke open that? It's fucking freezing out!) the smell of Manhattan – not exactly a pleasant smell, but it put him at ease nonetheless. He could hear the hustle and bustle of the city, something that excited him to no end.

Despite the fact that Konoha is a fairly large city, it pales in comparison to some of the larger metropolises in the nation. New York made Konoha seem like a piss-ant rural town, and he was sure that LA, Chicago, Dallas, or Miami would do the same. The buildings in Manhattan were much taller than those in Konoha; Naruto finally understood why they were called skyscrapers. The streets were always alive with people, no matter the hour of day. The streets were always packed with cars, with little parking, and absolutely everything went fast (except traffic).

Finally, the cab came to its final stop, and Sasuke pulled Naruto out of the car (presumably after paying the cab driver). Naruto started to feel self-conscious, knowing that there were tons of people around, looking at Sasuke drag a blindfolded teenager around.

"Sasuke, I could do without the blindfold," Naruto said quietly as he was led inside a building.

"I want this to be a surprise," Sasuke argued.

"But everyone's staring at me!" Naruto protested in what sounded like a whine.

"How would you know? You can't see?" Naruto pouted at that. "Trust me, no one's looking at you. This is New York City. There are, like, ten million people who live here alone, forgetting about all the tourists. I'm sure most of them have seen stranger things than someone blindfolding their boyfriend and leading them somewhere." Naruto pouted at the logic. "Besides, we're here."

Naruto felt Sasuke stand behind him and begin to untie the blindfold. Naruto could feel the excitement radiating off himself in waves, wondering what Sasuke could have done for him. Were they at a five-star restaurant? A famous movie premier? A Broadway show?

As the blindfold was pulled from his eyes, Naruto opened his eyes to see what wonderful date Sasuke brought him on in New York City.

Wait a second…why were they in a locker room?

"Surprise," Sasuke said with a smirk. Naruto's eye twitched. He looked around and saw that they were alone, but immediately felt the chill of the room. "What do you think?" Naruto was quiet, struggling to not shoot down something that Sasuke put tons of effort into. But seriously? A locker room? What date are they going to have here? Some nice locker room sex? That's really all it's good for, and they could have had sex in their hotel if they wanted to.

"It's…nice?" Naruto said, putting more uncertainty in his voice that he'd intended to. Sasuke chuckled behind him.

"This isn't the actual date," Sasuke whispered in his ear, and Naruto immediately felt some relief. Of all the things that a rich guy could do in New York City, sex in a locker room seemed like a pretty odd thing to do. "The date starts when you put these on." Naruto turned around to face him, and saw two pairs of ice skates in Sasuke's hands. Ice skating? It was a little more romantic than locker room sex, but Naruto couldn't help but inwardly groan. He didn't even know how to ice skate. In fact, he voiced his thought this time. "It's okay, I know," Sasuke said with a smirk. "That's why I hired someone to teach you."

"Our date is an ice-skating lesson?" Naruto asked, wondering what was going through Sasuke's mind. This isn't something that should have taken hours to set up.

"Put the skates on, you can ask me questions later," Sasuke said. Deciding not to argue, Naruto sat down on a bench and took off his shoes, beginning to put his skates on. After the two managed to get their skates on, they started to slowly and carefully walk, Naruto following Sasuke's directions. At one point, he almost tripped and twisted his ankle, but Sasuke held him up.

Finally, they reached a glass door, and Naruto opened it up, seeing a huge ice skating rink. The rink was outdoor, but it was below street level. Up at street level, hundreds of people were walking past the ice skating rink, and Naruto caught sight of a gigantic Christmas Tree, decorated with ornaments and lights, making the tree light up in green, red, blue, purple, green, white, and orange. On top of the tree was a star that seemed to be the size of three of Naruto's head.

"Hello Mr. Uchiha and Mr. Uzumaki," said a man wearing ice skates who was waiting in the rink for them. "Welcome to Rockefeller Plaza's ice skating rink. My name is Geoffery, and I'll be your skating instructor."

Naruto's jaw dropped.

He turned his head to Sasuke, and Sasuke smirked. "I rented out the rink for the night so that we could skate together."

"Are you ready?" Geoffery asked, and Naruto nodded in response.

* * *

After the ice skating, Sasuke took Naruto to dinner at an insanely expensive, Japanese restaurant called _Mansa_. The food was, literally, like $500. And it was worth every penny. The food here was probably the best he'd ever had, even better than Ichiraku's ramen. And Naruto never thought he'd be able to say that.

After their dinner that probably cost more than Naruto's house, the two took another cab back to the Hilton, where Sasuke ordered the movie _Casablanca_ for them to watch from bed, but Naruto couldn't focus on the movie at all.

Yes, he knew that Sasuke could be a romantic. And he knew that a romantic with deep pockets in the busiest city in the world could be a dangerous thing. But when Sasuke had suggested a romantic trip to New York City, Naruto had never expected something this perfect. To be honest, despite the fact that Sasuke pitched this trip as a romantic vacation, Naruto expected the whole Sharingan thing to take over the vacation. When they'd seen Dr. Senju that morning, Naruto felt even more so like this would turn into something all about whatever Madara had led Sasuke to find out.

But now, he immediately regretted not having faith in Sasuke. This was the same guy who spent months putting up with him being mentally insane, to the point where he even came over to comfort Naruto after nightmares. After falling for Naruto, he stayed away when staying away would be most beneficial to the blond, despite the pain he felt. For months, he watched Naruto date Hinata, keeping his feelings mostly to himself so as to not hurt him. Sasuke sacrificed so much time and time again for Naruto, that Naruto felt like shit for doubting him.

He shifted a little bit, snuggling deeper into Sasuke, who had his arms around Naruto. Naruto laid his head back on Sasuke's upper arm and looked up at the raven's pale face. Feeling Naruto's eyes on him, Sasuke's eyes left the movie to gaze back at his boyfriend.

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered. "I love you."

A smile bigger than anything Naruto had yet to see on his boyfriend's face broke out. "I've been waiting almost a year to hear you say that," Sasuke whispered back. "I love you, too." They both closed their eyes and inched their mouths forward until they met. It wasn't the most passionate kiss they'd had, or the longest one they'd held, but it was the best one in Sasuke's opinion.

Because this was their first kiss after Naruto said those three magical words.

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	31. Infiltration

**Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine, he's Sasuke's. Whether Kishimoto likes it or not.**

**This chapter is not betaed.**

Chapter Thirty-One: Infiltration

The next day, Sasuke and Naruto got separated from Dr. Senju by a traffic light. The day after that, too many cars got between their car and the doctor's. It wasn't until the fourth attempt to follow Dr. Senju that they were actually able to follow him. As Sasuke drove the car, Naruto paid attention to the map to figure out where they were going. If they got separated from Dr. Senju before they reached the destination, at least they would know just about where they were.

It seemed today that Dr. Senju didn't realize he was being followed. Sasuke was starting to get worried. The longer they follow him, the more likely he'd be to realize that he was being tailed. Sasuke refused to get too far away from Senju as well, especially after the previous day's excusion. He wasn't really skilled at following people from a distance, so he was forced to give up any semblance of subtlety that he'd had.

They were going pretty far, from what Sasuke could tell, and traffic was a nuisance. He knew that they crossed into Brooklyn at one point, and they were now traveling down much less urban roads. No longer were skyscrapers walled up around them, but they instead saw more normal buildings and houses.

"Slow down," Naruto said quietly. "You're going to get pulled over."

"I'm going to _lose_ him if I go any slower," he replied. Naruto rolled his eyes and looked at the street sign they just passed.

"South Franklin Road," he said, trying to find that street on the map. Unfortunately, a lot of the smaller roads weren't on the map. "Dammit, I knew we should have gotten that GPS."

"Don't worry, we won't get lost," Sasuke said. "I'm not letting him get away this time. I'm going to find out what the Sharingan Project is, and I'll find out today."

As much as he pretended he wasn't, Sasuke was slowly becoming obsessed with this. And Naruto could understand. After all, Madara was involved with the Sharingan Project. When you have a mob guy working on something, you can bet your bottom dollar that there's something illegal going on. And Naruto had a strange suspicion that whatever this turned out to be would be way more personal than just a project that Madara's organization was working on.

He briefly wondered – not for the first time – if Dr. Senju might be employed by Madara's organization. This whole project had been going on long before Madara had given up crime, so who knows whose hands the business fell into when Madara left.

And there was something else bothering Naruto. The files from Dr. Senju's office were extremely odd. Apparently, the Sharingan Project was some medical trial for a drug that was tested on three patients, two of which died. That wasn't really all that interesting by itself, but…

From what Naruto knew, the files for the patients began right around when Sasuke's parents died and Madara quit the business. If Madara had a key for this, did that mean that he was still somehow involved? Maybe there really _was_ more to Madara's suicide than everyone thought. Maybe Madara was still involved with his business. If that was true, then there were more questions to be asked.

_It isn't your fault_.

Naruto was grateful that Madara left that. Even if Sasuke still felt some blame, it did lift a lot of the weight of his suicide of Sasuke's shoulders. Of course, Naruto had wondered if this was true or if it was Madara's way of providing comfort from the afterlife. But now, if Madara was involved with organized crime again, all bets were off.

Some of the theories in Naruto's mind were ridiculous, but still plausible. Maybe an enemy of his had Madara killed and then faked the suicide. Maybe Madara was in some deep trouble with the organization and it was the only way out. There were a world of possibilities now open if Madara was still involved in the mob.

Naruto shook his head, pushing down those thoughts. Madara's death was a mystery for another day. Right now, they were going to find out what was with the Sharingan Project. Having lost track of where they were, Naruto sought out the help of a street sign, only to find none around.

"Where are we?" he asked as Sasuke made a turn down a dirt road. Sasuke was silent, concentrating on following Dr. Senju from a distance, as they twisted and turned down the road. They were now driving towards a big wall, part of an even larger complex that seemed to be twice the size of their university. What could possibly be in there? Sasuke pulled over just as they rounded the corner, and the two watched as Hashirama slowed to a stop in front of the wall. He opened his windows and held out something to a sensor that was attached to a pole in the ground. Suddenly, the wall opened up, revealing some sort of parking garage below the complex. Hashirama drove through, and the wall closed behind him. "Well, now what do we do?" Naruto asked.

"The card key," Sasuke whispered, before turning and rummaging through his bag. He pulled out the card key with the freaky-looking eye and the words _Sharingan Project_ on the front. Carefully, he pulled out from his hiding spot and drove back down the dirt road towards the main road.

"We're just going back!" Naruto asked incredulously. "After all that?"

"We're going to park on the main street," Sasuke answered, staring into space as he drove. "If we park nearby, it would just alert people that we're there, and it might prevent us from leaving easily. We'll walk back down the road and use the key to enter through the garage." Naruto had to admit that that plan had some merit. It was much more well-thought out than just driving into whatever parking garage was underneath the facility.

They finally got back to the paved road, which Naruto noted was Sheerview Road. That could come in handy when they got lost, which he was sure would happen. There was no way this day was going to end nicely. He had a really bad feeling as he trailed Sasuke back down the dirt road.

Sasuke, however, was silent. He didn't speak, and he tried not to think. Part of him was scared of what he'd find. Would it just be easier to go back to Konoha and forget any of this stuff? He didn't want anything to do with it in the first place! It was sheer insanity that urged him to pick up the damned safety-deposit box from the bank in the first place! He really should just forget it and return home.

On the other hand, he felt like he _needed_ to know. For all he knew, this whole thing was just some experiment that Madara was a part of. Maybe the words _Sharingan Project – Senju Hashirama_ weren't meant for his eyes, and they just happened to be on the back of a piece of paper that Madara hastily grabbed to write the true message, _It wasn't your fault._

But he couldn't help but wonder what this was.

The facility came into view as they rounded a curve in the road. He stopped when he saw a chain-link gate closed in front of him. It wasn't there before when they'd followed Hashirama. It must have gone up since they went away. No matter; jumping the fence wouldn't pose a huge problem. He just hoped that they didn't have security cameras inside.

"Come on," he said to Naruto as he began to climb the gate. As soon as he reached the top and jumped down to the other side, Naruto began climbing and soon joined him. They continued towards the pole in the ground, that he noticed had a slot that one would see at a cash register for debit cards. He fingered the key card in his pocket and pulled it out as they approached.

"We have to be quiet as soon as we get in," Sasuke whispered to Naruto, who nodded back. Without hesitation, Sasuke swiped the key, and a green light went off. The garage opened, and Sasuke and Naruto hurried inside. They had infiltrated the facility.

* * *

"You know, you're kind of cute when you're frustrated."

"Shut up, Kiba."

"No, I'm serious. You get all…feisty. It's kind of sexy." He purred.

"I swear to god, I'm not in the mood right now."

Silence.

A soft purr.

The sound of lips smacking.

Some rustling, then the sound of clothing hitting the floor.

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting," Suigetsu said as he opened the door to the dorm room. Kiba and Gaara, the latter of whom having lost his shirt, sat up from Gaara's bed to glare at the intruder. "Hey, it's my room too!" Suigetsu said defensively.

"Shouldn't you be picking a best man by now?" Gaara said with a triumphant smirk. Suigetsu scowled in response. That was the last time he decided to confide in Gaara about anything. Weren't roommates supposed to keep each other's secrets and stuff?

"Shouldn't you be…" Suigetsu trailed off, not being able to find a suitable comeback. "Shut up," he muttered as he walked over to his side of the room. He pulled out a bag and began to pack for the month-long break they had that he would be spending at his house.

"He's just kidding," Kiba said with an exasperated sigh. "Ever since you decided to marry Hinata, you've had a huge stick up you –"

"_I_ decided to marry Hinata?" Suigetsu snapped. "_I_ decided to give up my freedom to spend the night with any and every person I meet so that I could become a father? This was _my_ choice?"

"It was your choice to knock her up," Gaara pointed out as he collected his shirt and pulled it over his head.

"I used a condom!" Suigetsu said, opening a drawer and beginning to pack his clothes. "It's not my fault it was the one in a hundred that are defective! _She_ should have been on the pill!"

"It really doesn't matter," Kiba said. "What's done is done, and you're marrying her. It won't be that bad. She's a really nice girl, and she's pretty hot, too." He immediately felt Gaara's intense glare. "F-For a girl, I mean." Suigetsu rolled his eyes.

"I won't even be able to enjoy my last vacation at home, because my brother invited all his friends to come stay with us in celebration of actually having enough guest rooms to fit them all in," Suigetsu muttered. "And it's all because of fucking _Sasuke_."

"Sasuke?" Gaara asked. "What did he do?"

"If he didn't go AWOL, then Kisame wouldn't have suggested Itachi stay with us for the holiday so he's not alone. And if my _fucking_," he accentuated this by throwing some shirts into his bag, "_asshole,_" he threw more shirts into the bag, "_brother_," he said, throwing yet another couple of shirts into his bag, "hadn't offered for him to stay here, then Deidara wouldn't have suggested that they make it some big month-long sleepover!"

"I don't get why you're so pissed off," Kiba said as he sat down on Gaara's bed. "I mean, sure Deidara and Hidan can get annoying, but it won't be _that_ bad."

"It's not just Deidara, Hidan and Itachi," Suigetsu said. "It's Kakuzu, and it's Sasori, and it's Nagato, and it's Konan, and it's Yahiko, and it's Zetsu. We have _nine_ guests."

"You can always stay here," Gaara said. "The dorms are still open. _I'm_ staying here."

"Kisame wants me there for the month since I'll be married soon," Suigetsu grumbled as he finished packing his clothes and zipped his bag. "I just hate that there are going to be so many people!" Suddenly, he stopped and smiled, obviously having just gotten an idea. "Wait, if Sasuke is who-knows-where, and Itachi is at _my_ house, maybe I could just sneak away to the Uchiha mansion."

"Do you even have the code to get past the alarm?" Gaara asked uninterestedly. Suigetsu's face fell.

"Yeah, that was a stupid idea," he said as he slung the bag over his shoulder and began to leave. "Anyway, I guess I'll see you guys in a month."

"Be sure to send us a wedding invitation!" Kiba called from the bed. Suigetsu responded by slamming the door behind him. As he walked down the hallway, he distinctly heard the sound of Kiba howling with laughter and Gaara giving a snicker.

"I just had an idea," Gaara said when Suigetsu was gone.

"What?" Kiba asked.

"If Itachi is at the Hoshigaki's house and Sasuke is somewhere, then there's no one at the Uchiha mansion," Gaara said, straddling Kiba's lap.

"I'm pretty sure Suigetsu just said that," Kiba whispered as Gaara lowered his head to nip at his collarbone.

"That means that no one will be there to mind if we take a dip in their hot tub," Gaara said, lowering his head once more to continue sucking and biting on the tan flesh.

"I-I like the way you think," Kiba said, trying to suppress a moan as Gaara shifted in his lap.

* * *

Ino could barely contain her laughter. After all, it was really fucking funny.

She brushed the nail polish over the middle finger on Shikamaru's left hand before moving on to the ring finger. Just two more.

Shikamaru was sleeping at the moment. Ino was only in the room because Shikamaru's roommate had also left the dorms to go home for the holidays, and Ino just happened to show up as he left. Shikamaru was also going home for the holidays, but he was going to do it later. Packing was so troublesome, as he said.

Shikamaru started to stir as she finished with the ring finger. Now all she had let was the pinkie finger. She dipped the brush in the pick colored nail polish and brushed it over his nail. Okay, it wasn't pink, it was _bubble gum_, but she was sure it wouldn't really matter to Shikamaru.

It seemed that last brush was enough to rouse Shikamaru, who sat up quite quickly for such a lazy person when he registered the sensation of getting his nails painted.

"What are you doing?" he asked with a groan. He looked from the polish in her hand to the smirk on her face to the polish on his nails before sighing and lying back down. "Why did you do that?"

"Why not?" Ino asked, standing up from her crouching position. "I personally think it really makes your eyes pop."

"Shut up," Shikamaru groaned as he picked his pillow up and used it to shield his ears. "It's too early to deal with troublesome women."

"It's 7:00 in the evening," Ino commented.

"I'm glad you agree," Shikamaru commented, rolling over onto his stomach.

"Come on, you have to hang out with me," Ino complained, pulling the pillow off Shikamaru's head. "I speak all day listening to Suigetsu complain about having houseguests and Gaara complain about being ignored by Sasuke and Sakura complain about how insufferable Neji is being. I need a fucking break!"

"Have you ever tried napping?" Shikamaru commented, keeping his eyes closed.

"You know, sometimes I wonder why I even bother with you," Ino muttered. "Come on!" she said with renewed pep! I have a great idea about something we could do!"

"What?" Shikamaru asked, somewhat afraid to ask.

"We're going to go mini-golfing."

18 holes later, Ino was furious. Not only had Shikamaru not gone one hole without complaining, but he averaged about ten strokes per hole. Apparently, aiming the ball was such a drag. Not only that, but there were other people on the golf course who kept giving her weird looks. Looks that said '_What is she doing with him?'_ She hated it when people gave looks like that.

"We are going back to the main counter and starting a new game," Ino said, sounding like arguing was out of the question. It didn't stop Shikamaru from groaning and protesting. "I don't care," she said. "You're going to actually try. And we'll do this over and over and over again until you go 18 holes without complaining or not trying."

"How about this," Shikamaru began. "If I get the first five holes as holes in one, then we can just skip out early and go somewhere else."

"You think you can get five holes in one in a row?" Ino asked, an amused look plaguing her face. "I'd like to see you try."

"Okay," Shikamaru said with a shrug, picking up the gold club and one of the pink golf balls Ino had gotten him ("It'll match your nails!" she said). He walked over towards the first hole with Ino following him, and put the ball on the ground. She waited, and he waited. Nothing happening at all.

"It tends to go faster when you _hit_ the ball," Ino said.

"Shh," he said. "I'm thinking." There was silence for a few minutes, before he finally got into position with his golf club. He looked down at the club, then at the ball, and then at the hole. It was another ten seconds before he decided he could start, and he hit the ball.

The ball was so fast that it skimmed over the hole, bouncing off the back end of the course. From there, it rebounded to another part of the wall, and kept rebounding another two times before finally falling into the hole in the middle.

"Hole in one," Shikamaru said in a bored tone as he walked passed a shell-shocked Ino towards the next hole.

The windmill hole. A hole with a bridge. A hole with three hills. A hole with a tunnel. Hole after hole, Shikamaru stood at with intense concentration before hitting the ball at just the right speed and angle to get a hole in one. Shikamaru turned as soon as the ball fell into the fifth hole and gave Ino a smirk. "I guess I win. Let's go."

She didn't argue. She followed him out to the parking lot, having decided to sulk.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad," Shikamaru said.

"I hate you sometimes," she said. "How did you even do that?"

"Angles, velocity, friction," Shikamaru said. "It's all just one intense physics problem."

"I hate you," she repeated.

"So I've heard," he said sarcastically as he got behind the wheel of the car. "So where are we going now?"

"I want to go swimming," Ino said randomly.

"Swimming?" Shikamaru repeated. "In the end of December?"

"There are indoor pools," Ino argued.

"Not anywhere near here," Shikamaru argued. "None that are open at this time of night."

She was quiet and contemplative for a few minutes before she spoke up again. "How about the Uchiha Mansion? They have a pool."

"Indoor?" Shikamaru asked.

"Well, no…" Ino admitted. "But they have a hot tub, and that's almost as good."

"I don't even have a bathing suit," Shikamaru objected.

"I won't tell if you won't," Ino said with a smirk as she put the seat belt on.

"I'm pretty sure the Uchihas will mind us using their hot tub without permission," Shikamaru pointed out.

"Sasuke's gone god knows where," Ino stated. "Itachi's staying with Kisame. Suigetsu sure has complained about it enough for me to know that. No one will know we're there."

Shikamaru sighed. "Arguing with you is too troublesome," he said as he pulled out of the mini-golf parking lot.

* * *

"We really shouldn't be doing this, Gaara," Kiba whispered as they approached the Uchiha mansion. "I mean, this is pretty much trespassing, right?"

"Not if you have a key," Gaara replied, holding up a silver key to the lock on the door. Sasuke had given him a key about a year and a half ago when Gaara starting coming to the Uchiha mansion frequently. He placed the key in the lock to the front door and twisted it, before throwing the door open. The house was cold and dark, no one having been there for a few days.

"I still don't think we should _skinny dip_ in their hot tub," Kiba said. "That's just gross. What if Sasuke's done that before? I don't want to be naked where _his_ pale ass was."

"Shut up," Gaara said with a smirk. "I plan on doing more than just skinny dipping in that hot tub." He grabbed Kiba's hand and started leading him through the house towards the back. Surprisingly, the house was colder than the outside without any heat on. "Come on, the quicker we strip, the quicker we get into the hot tub."

The two teenagers began to take off their own clothes as they ran across the back yard to the tub. Luckily for them, there was no more snow there. That would have been hell to walk barefoot on. Gaara reached the tub first, submerging himself in the water almost immediately. Kiba arrived, stark naked, just as the redhead resurfaced and splashed.

"Get in," he said playfully. "I know for a fact that you're cold," he said, nodding his head towards a certain piece of _anatomy_ of Kiba's that had begun to shrink in the cold.

"Shut up," Kiba grumbled as he got into the hot tub. "Why are you so peppy all of a sudden?"

"I'm in a good mood," Gaara said, letting himself fall back to float in the water. "There's nobody here. We have a whole mansion to ourselves. Tell me you're not excited about that."

"When you put it that way," Kiba purred as he leaned over Gaara, crashing his lips to his boyfriend's. Gaara sat up, done floating for the time being. He pressed himself into Kiba's body, and felt Kiba's manhood grow against his own. The cool air was torture on his upper body that was now exposed, but he didn't care. His blood was boiling, and not in the bad way. He felt warm all over. Kiba did that to him often.

Kiba pulled away from the kiss, grabbing Gaara's ass and pulling him in closer. "I forgot lube," Kiba whispered.

"I'm sure Sasuke has some in his room," Gaara whispered back. He felt Kiba's cock rest in the crack between his ass cheeks as he straddled his lap. They returned to kissing, touching, and biting. Kiba couldn't keep his hands off Gaara, and Gaara was in a similar predicament.

Suddenly, Gaara submerged into the water, quickly taking Kiba's fully-grown member into his mouth. He bobbed down for about five seconds before he resurfaced to breathe. He went down a couple more times, but got frustrated with his lack of breath control.

"Get up on the ledge," Gaara growled out, starting to hoist Kiba out of the water. Part of Kiba objected; it was cold, and having water in near-freezing cold was a pretty bad idea. On the other hand…

He gasped as Kiba took him into his mouth again, fervently sucking on the head and shaft. One of Gaara's hands soon joined his mouth, and he was soon jacking him off as he sucked on the head. He looked up at Kiba, who closed his eyes and threw his head back in pleasure. There was no way he could look into Gaara's eyes right now and _not_ cum on sight. As it was, the redhead was giving head like he'd never given before. This was a totally different level than the usual times they went at it. It was like Gaara _needed_ it right now.

As the seconds passed, Kiba felt himself get closer and closer to the edge until he couldn't help it. He was already about to cum. Except Gaara noticed this, and he promptly pulled off of Kiba's cock, standing up to catch Kiba's mouth in a kiss. Kiba groaned at the loss of contact having come so close to the edge. He made sure that Gaara detected this from the way he bit roughly on his neck to show his disapproval.

"You fucking tease," he whispered harshly. He pulled Gaara back down, and Gaara willingly took Kiba into his mouth once more. It wasn't long before Kiba was teetering on the edge once more, ready to feel that orgasmic bliss of…well, an orgasm.

And then the sound of a car parking in the driveway sent panic through both boys as Kiba jumped into the water. They saw the headlights that shine onto the gate that led directly to the backyard from the front.

"Itachi," Gaara hissed.

"What is _he_ doing here, the fucking cockblock?" Kiba asked angrily. "You said he wouldn't show up."

"He wasn't supposed to!" Gaara hissed defensively as the car turned off and he heard people slamming doors of the car. _Two people_. He pulled Kiba towards the far side of the hot tub, where there was a little nook. It would be perfect for hiding if they came out here.

The gate that led to the backyard creaked as the door opened. Kiba and Gaara both lowered themselves in the water so only their nose and up were above the water. In the dark, they couldn't see who it was that was here, but they knew it didn't look like Itachi. One of them, Gaara knew, had blonde hair.

"_Deidara,"_ Kiba hissed softly. It was then that Gaara realized that, no, it wasn't Deidara. It was Ino. And if that was Ino who was beginning to strip just outside the hot tub, then it was Shikamaru who was here with her. Gaara had no doubt. His suspicions were further confirmed when he saw two soft breasts where simple nipples should have been and a certain anatomy lacking in her lower body.

"Come on, you scaredy-cat!" Ino called back, the back of her head facing Gaara and Kiba. Without turning her head, she fell back into the tub, beginning to float in a similar manner that Gaara had earlier. In a minute, a naked Shikamaru was at the edge of the tub. While Ino had stopped floating, she still hadn't noticed the two who were desperately trying to hide from them. That didn't stop his eyes from meeting, Shikamaru's, however.

"Uh, Ino," Shikamaru said.

"Shut up and get _in_ here," she said. "You're going to get cold."

"_Ino_," he repeated, earning her undivided attention. "We have company," he said, nodding his head towards Kiba and Gaara. She followed his eyes and nearly jumped a mile into the air when she saw who he was pointing to.

"Hey, Ino," Kiba said sheepishly. "How's it going?"

"What are you _doing_ here?" she asked, getting out of the tub and picking up her shirt, which she used to cover her breasts. She bent over a little bit so it would cover the _other_ part of her anatomy as well.

"Please, sweetheart, don't flatter yourself," Gaara said sarcastically. "Kiba and I are more likely to gawk at him," he nodded towards Shikamaru, who began to flush and cover up his exposed member. "Not that he has much to gawk at."

"Hey, it's cold!" Shikamaru complained.

"You didn't answer my question!" Ino said indignantly, letting the shirt drop after realizing that two gay teenagers weren't going to start staring at her.

"We could ask you the same one," Kiba pointed out.

"Can we _please_ discuss this is the nice, warm, hot tub?" Shikamaru said as he shivered. "I'm freezing out here."

"Of course you could come in," Gaara purred, sending Shikamaru a sultry gaze. Kiba slapped his shoulder.

"Gaara, stop teasing him," he said.

"Oh, come on," Gaara objected, speaking as if Shikamaru wasn't standing right in front of them. "Look at his nails. He totally bats for our team."

"Hey!" Shikamaru objected.

"Just get in the tub," Ino muttered, grabbing Shikamaru's skinny arms and dragging him in with her, making sure to stay on the opposite side of the tub as Kiba and Gaara.

"We weren't…interrupting anything, were we?" Ino asked tentatively.

"Do you want the truth?" Kiba asked, embarrassing Ino further.

"I didn't know you two were fucking," Gaara commented, nodding at Ino and Shikamaru.

"Gaara!" Kiba exclaimed at the same time as Ino yelled "What!" and Shikamaru sighed loudly.

"We're _not_ fucking," Ino protested.

"Oh, sure, because I definitely get naked in front of anybody that I'm _not_ fucking," Gaara said sarcastically.

"Gaara," Kiba warned. "Stop teasing them."

"But it's too easy," Gaara complained. "And it's pretty fun." By the scowl on her face, Gaara guessed that she didn't agree with the 'fun' part.

* * *

"Should we split up?" Naruto asked quietly as he and Sasuke walked down the corridors. Sasuke shook his head and looked around, as if checking to see if they were being followed.

"I wouldn't be able to open doors without you," he whispered. "Besides, if they catch one of us, the entire point of this is lost. We're better off staying together." He reached out his hand to hold Naruto's, and Naruto gladly let him.

They continued down the hallway, making sure to not make too much noise walking around. They reached a sort of fork, with the hallway ending straight ahead and leading left or right. Silently, as they approached, Sasuke nodded his head to the right, and Naruto shrugged. They had to go one way, and right was as good as left in this case.

They came upon a door to their right just after making the turn. Sasuke put his ear to the door to check for noise, and after hearing silence, decided to try and open the door. When it wouldn't open, he cursed quietly. Naruto silently pointed to another card swipe that was next to the door, presumably granting access to the door. He pulled out the key card and swiped it, and a green light indicated that he was free to enter.

He opened the door and entered the room, Naruto filing in behind him. The door clicked closed. He placed the key card back in his pocket as he began to look around. It seemed to be conference room of some sort, with a big, circular table in the middle and about a dozen chairs lying around it.

"Sasuke, there's nothing here," Naruto said, looking around the room. With the exception of the table and chairs, the room was bare.

"Let's move on, then," Sasuke said. "I want to find something before they realize we're here."

They left the room, deciding to mark a dot on the handle with a Sharpie so that they knew they'd been there. The hallways were so confusing here, Sasuke wouldn't surprised if he ended up going in circles for a bit.

They walked down hallway after hallway, entering room after room, and finding absolutely nothing. It was incredibly disappointing. The rooms ranged from conference rooms to kitchens to empty offices to what seemed to be hospital rooms. Every single one was empty.

Finally, they decided it was time to climb the stairs up to the next floor. Obviously this one was unused. There was a doorway leading to the stairs, and after checking to make sure there was no noise from inside, they threw open the door and climbed the stairs. But before they opened the door at the top of the stairs, when Sasuke put his ear to the door, he heard voices.

"…followed here. Maybe you should tell Tobi to have the security cameras checked." That sounded like Hashirama. Sasuke motioned for Naruto to get close to the door so no one could see in through the window in the door.

"Who would have followed you?"

"Uchiha Sasuke and some friend of his were at my office last week asking questions. I sent them on their way, but I'm sure they were suspicious."

"I'll tell Tobi."

"On second thought, I'll tell Tobi," Hashirama said. "You go downstairs and check for intruders. If anyone _did_ come here, they'd thoroughly investigate the first floor first." Sasuke felt the door handle being turned, and he pushed Naruto to the side, making sure both of them were behind the door when it was opened.

They were quiet as church mice as a big, burly man walked through the doorway and began to thud down the stairs. He didn't look back, but if he did, he'd have seen the intruders he was looking for. Sasuke and Naruto were both pressed as far into the wall as they could manage, hoping to any deity that would listen that the man wouldn't see them.

They breathed a huge sigh of relief when the downstairs door from the stairway clicked shut, indicating that the man was gone. Sasuke kept his ear to the door, listening to see if Hashirama was still there. Sasuke heard nothing but silence, and so he quietly opened the door and peeked his head outside. When he saw that the coast was clear, he allowed Naruto to leave the stairway.

Behind the first door they came across, they heard noises. People talking. Sasuke stopped to listen.

"Xiaoling Xing has died," came one voice. "The Xiaoling organization is scrambling to show that it has power. Their trafficking has taken a severe hit. Now would be the best time to swoop in and take some of their business."

"Tobi doesn't need your advice, Noko," snapped another man. "He's been so successful at running this organization for years. He's got this under control."

"If there was ever a time to take revenge on that family, it's now," the first man said. "They killed your family, remember? Slaughtered every single one of them. Now this jerkoff is the only one left to inherit your organization."

Sasuke strained his ears to hear more, but it seemed the other guy they were talking to, Tobi, apparently, was speaking too quietly, too far from the door. It was useless. Besides, after hearing these two pieces of conversation, he wanted to find an empty room to discuss what was going on here with Naruto.

A couple twists and turns later, Naruto and Sasuke finally reached an empty room, which was easily opened by the key card.

"What was _that_ all about?" Naruto asked.

"This is a mob organization," Sasuke said, his voiced sounded awed from realization. "'The Xiaoling organization' is what he said. I've heard about them. They're a Chinese crime family that tried to kill my uncle twice when he was in the crime business."

Naruto remembered his earlier wonderings. What if Madara had still been in the business? Could the Xiaoling family have been behind his death?

"They were the ones who killed my parents," Sasuke whispered quietly, sounding more like the broken person he was a couple of weeks ago, not like the determined sleuth who had decided to come to New York to find out about the Sharingan Project. Naruto immediately closed the distance between himself and Sasuke, embracing the raven-haired teen. "I-I'm glad he's dead, whoever that guy was. I want them _all_ dead."

"So does Tobi, apparently," Naruto said quietly. After a couple of seconds of being held, Naruto looked up at Sasuke. "This place is obviously run by some sort of mafia."

"They might be funding the Sharingan Drug," Sasuke suggested. "Obviously if there are only three patients that it was being used on, and there was no information on it anywhere online, it's an illegal trial."

Suddenly, they head a click outside the door as a key card was swiped and the door flung open, revealing Hashirama, the man he had spoken to earlier outside the stairwell, and two other people who Sasuke could only describe as goons.

"See, they were listening to the conversation from the stairway like I thought," Hashirama said smugly to the large guy. "Grab them," he said to the two goons. Sasuke and Naruto both looked around, but there was nowhere they could escape to. They were trapped.

Naruto seemed like he was getting ready to fight the guys, but Sasuke sighed. "Naruto, don't fight them. They have us." Hashirama smirked victoriously.

"I have nothing against you, truly," he said. "I'm sure you're good kids. But we can't deal with meddlers here. You couldn't mind your own business, so you got involved with something you shouldn't have." Sasuke silently glared at the doctor as his hands were restrained behind his back by one goon's hand. He looked over and saw Naruto had given in as well. "Take them to an empty room in the first floor. Be sure to lock them in. I'll ask Tobi what we should do with them later," he said to the goons.

The big man led them back towards the stairwell, the goons not letting go at all. Sasuke could only start to think of ways he'd escape this. When they got down to the room, they'd probably take away their cell phones, so they couldn't call for help. Well, they would take the cell phones away if they were actually competent. Maybe they wouldn't remember? These guys didn't seem like the smartest bunch.

"You have no idea who I am, do you?" Naruto began to say as they entered the stairwell. "I am Fuchisaki Yuguro, son of the Japanese ambassador! If you don't unhand me this instant, I will make sure you all rot in a prison cell for the rest of your lives!"

The goons looked nervous at Naruto's lie. For someone so genuinely nice, he pulled off that act pretty well. Sasuke was impressed. But the big man who seemed to be the leader of the security team or something just chuckled.

"You sure do have a big bark, Uzumaki Naruto," he said as his chuckles evolved into uproarious laughter. "I'll give you an A for effort, that almost got me for a second."

Naruto was just as shocked as the man. How did he know who Naruto was? Did they have some sort of information on them? Why would they? They have nothing to do with Sharingan Project or any of this mob stuff. If they knew Sasuke's name, that would be one thing; Madara obviously was involved somehow if he had a card key. But Naruto's only association was through Sasuke.

They reached a landing half-way between the second floor and the first when Sasuke finally decided it was time to take some action. He stepped back on the toe of the goon who was holding him. The goon let go, and Sasuke pushed him down the stairs. He was on top of the guy holding Naruto before the leader knew what was going on. Free, Naruto and Sasuke ran back up the stairs to escape.

The three men were now following them, and Sasuke heard the big guy announce over a walkie-talkie that he needed help with intruders. As they opened the door on the second floor, they heard an announcement over a PA system.

"There are intruders on the second floor," came the voice. "Two intruders, both male teenagers between the ages of 17 and 21. I repeat, there are two intruders on the second floor."

Naruto and Sasuke couldn't bother themselves with the announcement. As they rounded a corner, two more goons started heading towards them.

"Back!" Sasuke shouted, pulling Naruto backwards. They ran down a separate corridor, making as many twists and turns as they could, hoping to put tons of space between them and their pursuers. The more turns they made, the less likely they could be tracked. Sasuke saw from the corner of his eye that there was a security camera. "Shit," he said. They finally reached another stairwell door, and Sasuke threw it open. The two climbed up the stairs, despite the fact that it further entrapped them.

"Why are we going up?" Naruto asked as Sasuke led him by his hand.

"If they're smart, they have people by every stairway on the first floor so we can't escape," he said. As he threw the door to the third floor open, he pulled out his cell phone, dialing 9-1-1. "You remember the street that we're next to?" Sasuke asked loudly as they ran.

"Sheerview Road!" Naruto exclaimed as they saw another three goons heading towards them. They turned back and saw that there were two directions they could go.

"Split up," Sasuke said as they ran back towards where the split occurred. "Try to get to the fourth floor, if you can. I love you."

"I love you too," Naruto said hurriedly as they split up.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?" asked a woman on the other line of the phone.

"I need help!" Sasuke exclaimed. "I'm at a big facility at the end of a dirt road off Sheerview Road!"

"I'm sorry, sir, I can't understand you," she said. "You're in a bad reception area."

"Sheerview Road!" Sasuke yelled. "Sheerview Road! Dirt road! Big Building! They have me and my friend," he said ,realizing that by the time they got there, he and Naruto would most likely have been captured. Suddenly, his phone beeped twice, and he pulled it away from his ears, horrified to see that there was no cell reception.

He noticed a man in the hallway following him, so he made a sharp turn into another hallway, bumping right into the guy who had been holding Naruto before. They both crashed to the ground from the impact, but Sasuke immediately jumped up and ran, adrenaline coursing through him. He finally reached another stairway and started climbing.

A voice in the back of his head said that the further they climbed, the less likely they'd get out without being caught, but he ignored it. Maybe the police had heard the address and were on the way. All they had to do was elude capture until the police got there.

He threw open the door to the fourth floor, and screamed when he saw the leader of the security people standing there, as if he was waiting for them.

"Where's your friend?" he asked menacingly as he began to approach Sasuke. Sasuke backed up into a railing that was directly over the stairs to the third floor. He suddenly had an idea, but he wasn't sure he could do it. He needed to flip this guy over the railing, but he was too big.

Oh well, he had to try.

Whatever deity that he and Naruto had prayed to earlier must have answered, because he caught the guard off-guard (hehe) enough to lift him a little bit off the ground. Just enough that when Naruto came barreling into the stairwell, he managed to knock the guy over the railing the rest of the way. He crashed into the stairway, and Naruto and Sasuke both ran back out to the fourth floor, holding hands once more.

"I just killed him!" Naruto exclaimed as they ran.

"He could have survived!" Sasuke argued as they made a turn.

"Not that fall!" Naruto argued back.

"Hashirama's here," Sasuke pointed out as they made another turn. "He's a doctor."

"First I shoot you, then I do this?" Naruto said, sounding smaller and smaller with each step.

"He was going to imprison us, or worse," Sasuke said, bringing himself and Naruto to a halt. He cupped Naruto's face. "You saved my life just now."

Naruto was breathing heavily, and yeah, Sasuke was too. They had been running for at least ten minutes, and they were getting tired.

"There they are!"

Sasuke looked over his shoulder and saw some more goons – about seven or eight – barreling down the corridor towards them. He grabbed Naruto's hand once again, and the two ran, making more twists and turns to lose them.

"Let's get inside a room!" Naruto said. "We might be sitting ducks, but they might not know where we are. They might think we're still in the hallway, or that we've gone up to the fifth floor."

"Good idea," Sasuke said as they made one more turn and he stopped in front of a room. He pulled out the key card and quickly swiped it, barely waiting until the green light blinked at him to throw open the door. He pulled Naruto in and slammed it shut, making sure to lock the door behind him.

* * *

"Have you found the intruders yet?" Tobi asked Hashirama, who had just entered the room.

"Our men recently saw him on the fourth floor," Dr. Senju replied, taking a seat. "They also found Max at the bottom of the stairs to the third floor. There was a lot of blood."

"Who would have thought that young Sasuke could be able to hurt Max?" Tobi pondered. "Is he alive?"

"No," Hashirama replied. "He was thrown from the railing, apparently. His neck was broken on contact."

"That's a shame," Tobi replied. "Max served us well."

"That he did," Hashirama agreed.

"They must not be allowed in _that_ room," Tobi said sharply.

"I'll put two men outside that room to stand guard," Hashirama said before taking out a walkie-talkie and giving those exact orders. "Make sure that no one's in there, first," he said before placing the walkie-talkie down.

"How is our favorite patient doing?" Tobi asked, "any change?"

"None whatsoever," Dr. Senju replied. "Ma-Tobi, you know what I told you yesterday. She is completely recovered, impeccably healthy, except for the fact that she's in a coma."

"I won't let you stop the treatment," Tobi said sharply. "If she dies –"

"If we stop the treatment and remove the medication, she may die," Dr. Senju admitted. "But if we don't do that, she will never wake up."

"Says you," Tobi replied.

"If you want another opinion, feel free to get one," Dr. Senju said. "You might, however, have a problem explaining to another doctor why you've been funding an experimental drug that hasn't passed the government's required testing on animals before humans."

"I did this to save her!" Tobi exclaimed angrily. "This was _your_ drug. _You_ told me it could save her! You said it could save all of them, and now she's all that's left."

"It could save her," Tobi said. "It has. She was going to die. She needed new nerve cells, new spinal cells. Only the experimental stem cell program could save her. And not just any stem cell program, but _this_ one. You did the right thing."

"Then why won't she wake up?" Tobi asked harshly. "Why did her child and husband die?"

"There were complications," Dr. Senju said. "We've gone over this before."

"And my answer is no different," Tobi said. "Keep the treatment going."

* * *

The room was silent save for two things – the heavy breathing that Sasuke and Naruto were currently doing, and the beeping of a machine in the back of the room.

"Help me barricade the door," Sasuke said suddenly. "The police may be coming, and I don't want to get captured before they get here."

"_May_?" Naruto asked with a hint of fear in his voice. "What do you mean, 'the police _may_ be coming'?"

"There was bad reception," Sasuke said as he placed a cabinet in front of the door. He really didn't want to get into this with Naruto. Not when there was so much else going on.

"And if they're not coming, are we going to stay here forever?" Naruto asked, refusing to move until Sasuke answered his question.

"We'll try the police again," Sasuke said with a shrug. "Now _help me barricade the door_."

Naruto sighed and began to look around the room for things to barricade the door. He noticed that the room was one of the many hospital rooms, but unlike some of the others, it wasn't empty. There was a patient lying in the bed, attached to the machine that was beeping. It was one of the heartbeat machines, which showed that she had a pretty healthy heartbeat.

He got closer to the patient and noticed that she looked oddly familiar. Her raven-black hair was pretty messy, and it was all over the place, but he could tell that if she was awake, it would frame her face nicely. He looked at her wrist and saw a hospital bracelet on her arm, that simply said _Patient X, Sharingan Project_.

Naruto inhaled quickly at the discovery, but Sasuke ignored it as he piled on the furniture in front of the door. Why wasn't Naruto helping him? This was more important than whatever was going on near the hospital patient.

"Sasuke, come here," Naruto said in an odd voice.

"What?" Sasuke asked in an irritated tone of voice. He didn't like the fact that Naruto wasn't helping him, but he didn't understand why he would _distract_ Sasuke from this. Didn't he realize that if the _mafia_ got a hold of them, they'd be as good as dead?

"It's Patient X, from the Sharingan Project files," he said. Sufficiently intrigued, Sasuke placed down the chair he'd been carrying in front of the door and turned around. "And…well, just come look."

By now, Naruto had recognized who the woman was, lying there. He had seen a couple of photos of her, and one video that he couldn't forget. He knew Sasuke wouldn't forget it either. She was much paler, and much thinner, than she had been, but there was no mistaking the face. He felt Sasuke step up behind him and look over his shoulder at the patient. He heard the gasp.

"Mom…"

Uchiha Mikoto was lying in the hospital bed, her eyes closed. But if the machine's beeping was any indication, she was alive.

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	32. All I Wanted for Christmas

**Disclaimer: [Insert incredibly funny/sarcastic/original disclaimer here]**

**This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Thirty-Two: All I Wanted for Christmas

Sasuke froze in place as time came to a halt. This couldn't be his mother – she was dead. How could she be here? He turned his head to the beeping monitor that showed a healthy heartbeat – at least, from what Sasuke remembered from hospital dramas on TV. For all he knew, she was really having a heart attack.

Wait, that was a stupid line of thought. Dead people don't have heart attacks. Then again, dead people don't have heartbeats either. He watched as Naruto walked a little bit closer to her body, laying the back of his head on his mother's forehead.

"Sasuke," he said with a very confused tone of voice. "She's warm." _Warmth_. Dead bodies were not warm. Sasuke didn't need to watch any hospital drama to know that. Naruto picked up her left arm that had been lying on top of the covers, and placed two fingers to her wrist. After a couple of seconds, he spoke up again, his tone much more surprised. "She has a pulse!" he exclaimed.

Sasuke wasn't aware of walking forward, but his feet seemed to be on autopilot. Naruto moved aside to give Sasuke room as he lowered his head to her chest, feeling the slow rise and fall of her chest. He could hear her heartbeat and feel her breathing.

Wait a minute…dead people don't breath. The realization was surreal.

She was alive!

Suddenly, he heard the doorknob jiggling, and a muttered curse from outside.

"Hey! Someone's in here!" came a voice from outside. Naruto and Sasuke both looked around for something to barricade the door further, but there was nothing else, save for a rolling chair that would provide about as much help as a paperclip. "Open up the door right now and no one will be hurt," he yelled at Sasuke and Naruto.

Her wristband said 'The Sharingan Project, Patient X.' The Sharingan Project started right after the accident. It was Mikoto who was the patient. _No_, Sasuke thought. _She was _one_ of the patients. There were three patients – a male and a fetus inside her._ His chest tightened as the realization became completely clear. His family had survived the accident, but he'd lost most of them all again.

He started to sob, and he couldn't help it. Somehow, these people were able to save his mother, but not his little sibling or his father. And he had to grow up believing his mother dead, instead of knowing she was alive. He felt Naruto's arms wrap around him as he sank down to the floor in a flurry of tears and sobs.

"Sasuke?" came Hashirama's voice through the door. "Sasuke, are you in there?" He had an alarmed tone to his voice. Naruto was pretty sure Sasuke couldn't even hear him as he sobbed. "Sasuke, I can explain. Please just open the door, and I'll explain everything."

Naruto pulled out his phone and saw that he had two bars of service. _Not much, but it's enough to call the police if they didn't respond to Sasuke's call._ He pulled Sasuke closer into him. Sasuke was sitting with his knees to his chest, so Naruto opened his legs and pulled Sasuke in between them so that Sasuke's back rested against Naruto's chest. Naruto remembered Sasuke holding him like this after that incident outside of Mangekyo where he was attacked in the alley. He found it comforting, and he hoped Sasuke found it to be the same.

"Please let us in, Sasuke," Hashirama said. Naruto heard the first guy who got there slam into the door to try and force it open. A couple more pleas that went unanswered, and a few more slams into the door that slightly displaced the barricade Sasuke had set up, and Hashirama was able to crack the door open a bit. After that, it was just a couple more seconds until they were inside completely.

"I've dialed 9-1-1, and my finger is on the 'Send' button," Naruto said, showing the phone to Hashirama and the four goons that had accumulated at the door. "Send them away, call off the search, and close the door," Naruto ordered. The men all looked at Hashirama, who gave them a nod. The four left, closing the door behind them. Naruto didn't believe it was actually that simple. "Go sit on that chair in the far corner, and start talking."

Hashirama moved the chair with wheels to the other side of the room, being quite complicit in Naruto's demands. Naruto was slightly relieved that he and Sasuke were safe from bodily harm for the time being. Sasuke stopped sobbing to listen to Hashirama's explanation.

"In October 1999, I had called my old college roommate, Uchiha Madara, and asked him to come to a big New Year's party," Hashirama began. "Everyone was excited then because it was the turn of the millennium, and everyone made a big deal out of it. That was why I had reached out to him, despite not having spoken since college.

"He came up to New York, and we had coffee together," Hashirama continued. "I spoke about this experimental stem cell procedure I was working on, and he told me small details about his…profession. My program was cutting edge, back then, before stem-cell research became widely-known of by people. It was always a strange concept to everyone I spoke to, but I maintained that it could do miraculous things and improve medicine spectacularly.

"It was about a month later when I got a call from Madara, saying that his brother, sister-in-law, and their unborn child were in the hospital, the ICU – Intensive Care Unit – and were dying. He flew me out there for a consult, hoping that I could help his family, but I couldn't. I told him that the only thing that could save them was this experimental drug. It hadn't yet passed any of the necessary testing on animals or humans to be legal in the US, but I had high hopes.

"He knew there was no guarantee it would succeed, but if we didn't try, they would surely die." Hashirama paused. "He asked me – begged me –to try the drugs on them. I would like to think that I'm a generally moral person, and if asked today, I don't think I would say yes, but back then I was young, I was foolish, and I believed that I – and my project – were invincible.

"It was quite a bit of a challenge to arrange for it all," he admitted. "Faking their deaths – that was your uncle's doing. I had no idea how one would even go about doing that, but I guess people learn things in that profession. It was hard to transfer them to New York without losing them, but by some miracle, I was able to get them safely here. I set up charts and files, and I began tracking their progress with the drugs.

"I believed that we would lose Mikoto and Obito – that was to be the name of the child, your brother, Sasuke, named after Madara's son who died. The challenges of a pregnancy sustaining another life seemed to be too great to hope for much, but we tried nonetheless. We lost Obito within a month, and we expected Mikoto to soon follow.

"But she persevered," he continued. He paused to wipe some sweat off his brow. "She's a fighter, that one. After the initial treatment, they seemed to be on target for a full recovery. There were some other issues to deal with, however, before they could wake up. We had to introduce a different drug, still a part of the Sharignan Project, so it was still under trials.

"Your father had an allergic reaction to the drug, and he died a month later," he said quietly. "April 27, 2001. I'll never forget that day. I can't say I ever knew your father," he said to Sasuke, "but I was incredibly sad when I lost him. So was your uncle. He was absolutely distraught, truth be told. He told me that if Mikoto died, he would make sure I died with her, although I think that was just anger and grief speaking. Your uncle really was a great man, and everything he did, he did so that your mother and father and brother could live.

"That's pretty much the whole story," Hashirama concluded. "For the past decade, Mikoto has been slowly recovering, and she's now completely healthy, save for the coma she was put in. I believe the only way to wake her up is to remove the drug, which would cause a sufficient shock to the system, but it could also backfire and kill her. Because of these risks, I have not been told to go forward."

"This entire operation is part of Uchiha Madara's mob organization?" Naruto asked.

"Well, about a month after the accident, Madara quit the business," Hashirama said, his voice sounding somewhat different. "He left a man named Tobi in charge of the operations of his organization, but he made sure to check up regularly on the project. Tobi is the one who has been making sure that we don't disrupt Mikoto's treatment."

"I overheard someone say that Tobi's family was killed by the Xiaoling family," Sasuke said quietly. "But so was mine. Are Tobi and I related?"

"Y-You heard that?" Hashirama asked. He turned pale, and Naruto thought he looked almost scared of that. "How did you hear that?"

"It doesn't matter how we heard it, just tell him!" Naruto snapped.

"No," Hashirama said, "he's not related to you in any way. Tobi was always high-up on the business, so his family was just as much a target as yours was. In this business, everyone's a target."

"I want to speak to Tobi," Sasuke said.

"No!" Hashirama exclaimed. He cleared his throat and composed himself. "I mean, erm, Tobi is too busy to deal with this, so he asked me to deal with this instead."

"So what happens now?" Naruto whispered into Sasuke's ear. In reply, Sasuke stood up, freeing himself from Naruto's embrace, and pulled out his own cell phone.

"Now I call Itachi and Kakashi," Sasuke said. He turned to Hashirama. "You and I are staying in this room until they show up and decide what to do."

* * *

"Deidara, get down from there!" Itachi snapped at the blond. Fuck Deidara. Fuck Kisame. Fuck Everyone! He stalked over to the refrigerator and pulled Deidara down, but the blond fell on top of him, pinning him to the floor.

"'Tachi, you're so funny," Deidara said with a drunken giggle. "What are you doin' down there, ya big silly?"

Itachi sighed. He was in the madhouse. Sasori, Kakuzu, and Kisame left to go grocery shopping, but decided that someone serious – namely Itachi – should stay behind to babysit the others, who shouldn't be trusted alone with alcohol. But all it took was a trip to the bathroom, and when he emerged, three bottles of vodka had been downed, and he was charged with keeping order in a house with six drunk college students.

Deidara eventually got off of him to go see what Zetsu was up to – probably nothing good. Itachi stood up and cracked his back, which he almost thought was broken after the 200 pound blond practically jumped on top of him. Fucking gravity.

He stalked back to the bathroom to find himself an Advil or an asprin or a Tylenol or _something_ to get rid of a headache. Then again, a shotgun could take care of all six headaches. He found a Motrin in the cabinet, and deciding that it was better than nothing, he took two.

He had barely put the bottle back in the cabinet before his cell phone rang, and he growled. _Who the fuck is bothering me now_? He looked at the caller ID, and saw the word _Sasuke_ above a picture of his younger brother. It took him a second to register that it was, in fact, his missing younger brother who had called him. He wasted no time in answering.

"Sasuke? Is that you? Where are you? Why haven't you returned any of my calls? Where have you _been_?" All five questions escaped his mouth in rapid succession before he allowed himself to take a breath.

"_Calm down, Itachi_," Sasuke said. His voice sounded strained. "_I'm fine – sort of. I'm in New York_."

"New York!?" Itachi exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing in New York!?"

"_That doesn't matter right now_," Sasuke said dismissively. "_I need you."_

"Why, what's wrong?" Itachi asked worriedly. He knew there had to be _some_ reason for him to call. If he hadn't returned his calls in the first three days he was gone, then he didn't think his brother was calling to just check in.

"_It's too complicated to explain over the phone," _Sasuke said_. "I just need you to get Kakashi, and get on a plane here, like, right now_."

"Sasuke," Itachi warned. "If you've gotten arrested for something –"

"_I haven't gotten arrested_!" Sasuke exclaimed on the other end. "_I just need you, please_." Itachi paused. Sasuke never said that he needed him. In fact, until pretty recently, they barely spoke besides when they had to. Sasuke always tried to self-sufficient so that he wouldn't need Itachi's help. Whatever was going on, Itachi didn't like the sound of it.

"Are you okay?" Itachi asked again, more slowly.

"_I'm as fine as I can be," _Sasuke said_. "I'll explain when you get here. Just hurry_."

"Will I see you at the airport?" Itachi asked.

"_No," _Sasuke said_. "I'll give you the approximate address of where I am when you get here, and you guys can get a cab_."

"Sasuke, I don't like how secretive you're being," Itachi stated.

"_If you can't help me when I need you, then I guess I'll just call Kakashi_," Sasuke yelled angrily.

"I never said that," Itachi said with a sigh. Fucking Sasuke. "I'll be there."

"_Hurry_," was the last word Sasuke spoke before he hung up. Itachi put the phone back in his pocket and sighed once more. He really didn't feel like flying to New York right now, but he didn't really have a choice, did he? On the plus side, at least he could escape this madhouse. He hoped they didn't do too much damage while he was gone, or Kisame would kill him.

* * *

While Sasuke called his brother to get him and Itachi on a flight to New York, Naruto decided it was time to make a call of his own. Although he and his family were not religious, they usually made it a point to spend Christmas together. Naruto knew that him being away would be more than a little rude, and didn't quite want to incur further wrath by staying out of contact.

It was Ino who answered the phone. "_NARUTO UZUMAKI! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, JUST DISAPPEARING LIKE THAT!? I WAS WORRIED! SO WAS KIBA, AND DAD, AND JIRAYA, AND TSUNADE! YOU BLEW US OFF FOR THE LAST FEW DAYS, IGNORE OUR CALLS, AND MISS CHRISTMAS! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF_?!"

"Uh, Merry Christmas," was his ever-so eloquent response. He heard some shuffling on the other end, and then heard his father's response.

"_Naruto, is that you_?" he asked. "_Where have you been? When will you be home_?"

"Yes, it's me," Naruto said. "I'm sorry I've been gone the last few days, and I'm sorry I missed Christmas. I'm in New York with Sasuke."

"_New York_?" Inoichi asked, sounding stunned. "_How did you get there?"_

"By plane, duh," Naruto responded. "Look, I'm sorry I've been out of contact. Some things have come up."

"_Is everything okay_?" Inoichi asked. In the background, he heard Ino say "It won't be when he gets back here," but neither Naruto nor Inoichi chose to pay her any notice.

"I'm fine, and so is Sasuke," Naruto replied. "Things are…complicated."

"_Well, as long as you're fine_," Inoichi said. "_When do you think you'll get back_?"

"Probably in the next few days," Naruto said with a shrug that he knew his father couldn't see. "Tell everyone that I wish you guys a Merry Christmas."

"_I will_," Inoichi said with a smile. "_Stay safe_." As he hung up the phone, Naruto looked at Sasuke, who still seemed quite lost. Naruto could hear a shuffle outside, and froze. When footsteps started growing louder, he stood up and walked over to the door to lean against it. When he heard the footsteps retreating in the other direction, he breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

First he called the airlines and made sure he had two tickets on the next flight to New York. Then, he called Kakashi and told him to pack a few things for New York. Since Sasuke didn't say how long they'd have to be there, Itachi just assumed to pack a weekend's worth of clothes and told Kakashi to do the same.

The flight was bothersome, but Itachi didn't really see a way out of it. If Sasuke was that insistent that he needed both Itachi and Kakashi there, he wasn't going to argue. When the plane took off, Itachi began to worry about what his younger brother needed. It sounded incredibly urgent, and Itachi's mind kept jumping to the worst possible conclusions.

When the plane touched down in New York, Itachi pulled out his phone and saw Sasuke's text that included the address he had to get to. When he and Kakashi left the plane and picked up their luggage, they decided to stop off quickly at a hotel to drop off their bags. When they were done with all the minute details that an impromptu trip to New York entailed, they hailed a cab and gave him the address.

The car ride was worse than the plane ride. He was in an alien area, and his brother was somewhere close. And he needed him. _Sasuke_ needed _Itachi_. It was just too weird. Itachi wondered, not for the first time that day, if Sasuke was sober. He'd sounded pretty sober over the phone, but he couldn't really know for sure.

What if Sasuke was in the hospital? What if he was mugged or something? _No,_ Itachi told himself. _If he was in the hospital, he wouldn't be making us go all this way_. But he was in some sort of trouble, Itachi knew that. Why else would Sasuke need to call him.

When the cab driver pulled over in the middle of the street, Itachi looked up at him with a confused expression. "This is the address," the guy said in a thick Russian accent. He nodded at a dirt road that was right off the main street. "There used to be a mansion down there with this address, but they took that thing down decades ago."

After paying the cabbie, Itachi called Sasuke for further direction.

"_Are you finally here?"_ Sasuke asked his older brother.

"The cab driver dropped me off at some dirt road," Itachi explained over the phone. "Where are you?"

"_Walk down the dirt road_," Sasuke told him. "_When you get to the end, you'll see a huge compound. You'll see a rental car near there. Naruto will be waiting for you down by the parking garage_."

"Can you explain to me what this is all about?" Itachi asked.

"Not yet," Sasuke said. "I'll explain everything to you when you get here."

When Sasuke hung up, Itachi growled and looked at his traveling companion. "Sometimes I hate my brother."

"If you really hated him, we wouldn't be here right now," Kakashi said with a shrug. "Whatever was so urgent that we had to fly all this way and take a forty-minute cab ride to find out, it has to be important."

"If it's not, I'll be an only child in a few minutes," Itachi said. "He wants us to walk down this dirt road, past a car, and when we get to some sort of compound, we should see Naruto near a parking garage."

Kakashi nodded, and the two started down the dirt road. It wasn't too long until they passed the car that Sasuke spoke of, and even less time until the dirt road opened up to what looked like a parking lot without cars. Behind the lot was whatever compound Sasuke was talking about, and even from a distance, Itachi could make out Naruto's blond hair and orange clothing against the grey, concrete building in the background.

When they final got close enough, Itachi decided to ask, once more, what this was all about.

"You'll see in a bit," Naruto said.

"Why?" Itachi asked angrily. "I've spent hours between the plane ride and the cab ride to get here. Sasuke hasn't told me anything, and now _you_ won't say anything either? What's going on that's so secretive?"

"It's not that it's a secret," Naruto explained. "It's just something you have to see for yourself." Naruto could tell that the raven was even more confused now. He opened his mouth to argue, but Kakashi interrupted him.

"Let Naruto show us whatever he wants to show us," Kakashi said. "_Then_ we'll find out what's going on." Itachi reluctantly agreed, and asked Naruto to show them the way.

Naruto took Itachi and Kakashi through all the barren hallways and up the long staircases, towards their destination. In the hours between Hashirama confessing to hiding Mikoto away and Itachi and Kakashi showing up, Tobi and the rest of the organization had enough time to pack up and get away, leaving a single person behind – Hashirama. He knew he was going to be the fall guy when this blew up, but he accepted it calmly. Sasuke made sure that Hashirama stayed inside the room. When it came time to explain to police, they would need Hashirama to make his confession.

Naruto could tell that Itachi was somewhat agitated by the manner in which he was brought here, but he didn't have much of a choice. After all, it wasn't like Sasuke could just call him up and say '_Hey, Mom's alive, what should we do?'_ Itachi and Kakashi had to be here to see this and hear the story and help make the final decision.

Naruto was wondering what would happen to Mikoto. To hear Hashirama tell it, he believed that removing the drugs from her system would cause enough of a shock to wake her up from the coma. But this was all still experimental, and even _he_ admitted that the shock might kill her. There had to be a reason why Madara and Tobi both chose to let the drugs remain for such a long time.

Another question in the back of Naruto's mind was about Tobi, the new runner of the organization. Why would Tobi care if Mikoto lived or died? The treatment must be costly. Without Madara alive to insist that the drugs keep going, there was no reason to keep her on the treatment, was there?

Finally, after a silent trip, the three were standing outside the door to Mikoto's hospital room. Naruto was a little nervous, but he had to let them in. His fingers closed around the cool metal of the doorknob and opened it.

The first thing Itachi saw was Sasuke standing over a hospital bed. The second thing he noticed was the patient.

"I-Is that…" he trailed off, his voice failing him. It was Sasuke, tears filling his eyes, who nodded. "M-Mom," Itachi choked, rushing over to the hospital bed. Kakashi followed in after him, looking between the two Uchiha boys, the mother in the bed, and the heart monitor. Almost as a side-thought, he looked over at the man sitting on a chair in the corner.

Itachi could only think of the carnival the other day, and the strange prediction that the fortuneteller Deidara dragged them to had made. _"You are about to experience a great thing," Madame Lourrange said sagely. "Your life will soon become tumultuous, but it will be worth it in the end. I see a great event happening."_

"What's going on here?" Kakashi asked Sasuke.

"You might want to sit down," was his reply.

* * *

"That's not gonna work," Gaara said as he eyed his boyfriend's choice of clothing. There was nothing wrong, _per se_ with Kiba's attire. He was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and sexy, black, long-sleeved shirt that had flames going up the sleeves. Gaara didn't mind the clothing – it was actually pretty hot. But… "We're going somewhere that won't let you in in that."

Kiba looked himself up and down and looked at Gaara with his eyebrows shrugged. "What's wrong with how I look?"

"_This_ is what you should wear to this kind of restaurant," Gaara said, indicating his suit, complete with jacket, tie, and even some nice, green cufflinks. "Let's go up to your room and find something for you to wear."

One outfit change later, Gaara and Kiba were on their way to dinner. As the location of their date was a secret when Kiba brought the redhead to his house was a secret, so was this. Gaara had the perfect surprise in mind for the brunet, and he couldn't wait to see his face when they got there.

It wasn't too long – only about fifteen minutes – before Gaara pulled the car into the parking lot to _Chez Boulé,_ one of the fanciest, most expensive restaurants in Konoha. Kiba's eyes got wide as saucers as they pulled into the nearly-empty parking lot.

"How did you afford this?" he asked his boyfriend in shock. Leaving the keys in, Gaara opened the door for the valet, Kiba following suit. When the valet gave him the ticket, Gaara responded, leading Kiba towards the door.

"What's the point of having a rich best friend if you don't exploit him every now and then?" Gaara asked as they entered the restaurant. The entire restaurant was as bare as the parking lot, with no customers inside save for the two of them. In fact, none of the tables were set except for one, circular table for two in the center.

Like the one that Kiba had prepared for Gaara a few weeks ago at his house, the table was set with a candle in the middle. There was a single flower in a vase, and the napkins were folded to look like dogs.

"We have a reservation under the name 'Sabaku,' Gaara told the maître d'. He nodded, and directed them to the table. Kiba sat down at one side, and Gaara at the other.

"You rented out the whole _restaurant_?" Kiba asked. "How much did you pay for this?!"

"_Sasuke_ paid a small fortune," Gaara said with a smirk. "Not that he'd notice a couple thousand dollars missing from his bank account. This was his Christmas present for me; we set it up a month ago."

"Remind me to thank that asshole whenever he and Naruto show back up," Kiba said, a matching grin on his face. He reached over to pick up a menu that the maître d' had left them, and began to flip through the pages. Suddenly a realization hit him, and he put the menu up so he could whisper to his boyfriend without the waiters hearing him. "Gaara," he whispered, "the whole menu is in French!"

Gaara reached over and picked one up, scowling when he saw his boyfriend was correct. The entire menu was, indeed French. He raised a finger to call over the waiter.

"What would you like to drink?" he asked them.

"I'll have a water without lemon, and he'll have a Coke," Gaara said, knowing what his boyfriend would drink.

"And for your meal?" he asked.

"What do you recommend?" he asked, giving a sly smile to his boyfriend. Kiba smiled back as the waiter pointed to a menu item on Gaara's menu and explained what it was using as much French as the menu. "We'll have two of that," Gaara said with a nod. The waiter took the menus and left Kiba and Gaara to converse while the meal was cooked.

"So have you heard from Sasuke yet, speak of the bastard?" Kiba asked.

"No," Gaara said simply. "Sasuke won't talk until he wants to, so I haven't been forcing the issue. I know Itachi's been going out of his mind calling him, and so has Sakura."

"What about Neji and Hinata?" Kiba asked. "How are they, now that everyone knows about Naruto and Sasuke?"

"Neji's about as pissed as you'd expect him to be," Gaara said. "He asked if I knew about them, and, naturally, I lied and told him that I had no idea. I'm not getting involved in his problems with Sasuke and Naruto. As for Hinata, she's more accepting of it. She's got more to focus on with Suigetsu."

"You think _that_'s gonna work out?" Kiba asked with a grin on his face. "Suigetsu the man-whore marrying Hinata, the blushing virgin? I give it three months."

"Suigetsu is actually trying to step up," Gaara told his boyfriend. "He decided to stop sleeping around and start thinking about life with a child and wife to care for. Not that Mr. Hyuga gave him much of a choice." He paused as the waiter gave them their drinks. "What about your friends? How's Ino?"

"She's out of her mind with worry about Naruto," Kiba said, taking a long gulp of his Coke. "She's been hanging out with Shikamaru a lot lately, too. She says they're just friends, but I don't think so. I think she's too big a pussy to make the first move, and he's too lazy to."

"Shikamaru's a good person, but he's an absolute horror to deal with," Gaara said. "When he was dating Temari, she was always pulling her hair out out of frustration. She always complained that he had no motivation."

"Well, Ino complains about him all the time," Kiba conceded, "but she usually does that when she really likes someone. You should have seen her back in eighth grade when she had a crush on Sasuke. She was always like 'he's so cool, but he acts like such an asshole.' When she realized that he wasn't _acting_ like an asshole, she started to get a little less obsessed."

"I sometimes forget that Ino and Sakura used to always follow around Sasuke like he was a god incarnate," Gaara mused. "It was so annoying. Especially when he complained. You should have heard him in sophomore year after he got his braces off. Every word out of his mouth was about how annoying the fangirls were. He hated it."

"I know," Kiba said with a smirk. "After he called me an idiot in class back in eleventh grade, I followed him home and gave his address to Sasame and Ayame. They were so happy because his address was unlisted, and they used to go over there all the time."

"That was _you_!?" Gaara exclaimed, laughing. "I can't tell you how many times we were hanging out and those two would show up and harass us." Kiba joined the laughter, and in the middle of it, the waiter brought them their meals.

Gaara was the first to stop laughing and take a look at what they ordered. It seemed to be some sort of fish with pasta, and a sauce poured on top. He and Kiba took their first bites at about the same time, and they both looked up at each other, mouths full of food and eyes wide. Gaara was the first to swallow, but Kiba soon followed suit.

"This tastes…" Kiba trailed off, trying not to be so blunt.

"…awful," Gaara finished for him.

"Good," Kiba said with a smile. "I'm not the only one thinking that."

"You wanna ditch and get a slice of pizza or something?" Gaara asked. Kiba smiled at him and nodded. The two stood up and pushed in the chairs, leaving the restaurant in a hurry. They got the car back from the valet, and drove five minutes to the nearest pizza place.

"I'm glad we did this," Kiba asked as he ate his pizza slice carefully. He didn't want to get tomato sauce all over his suit. "That restaurant wasn't 'us.'"

"And a pizza place is?" Gaara asked, amusedly.

"Very much so," Kiba said with a grin. They continued to eat, but after Gaara finished his second slice, he remembered something.

"I got you a gift for Christmas," Gaara said, picking up a bag that he'd had in his car until they got to the pizzeria. "I love you," he said as he handed it over. Kiba put his hand in the bag and pulled out a small, white, stuffed puppy. Kiba didn't respond, so Gaara began to rant nervously. "I know how much you miss your dog living in the dorms and all, so I thought I would get you this so you could remember him." Kiba was still silent. "If you don't like it, I still have the receipt. I'll get you something el –"

"It's perfect," Kiba said, giving the stuffed animal a squeeze. "It looks exactly like Akamaru did when he was a puppy. Now he's about as big as a small horse."

"I'm glad you like it," Gaara said with a small smile, relieved at the reaction. Kiba leaned over to kiss him and Gaara returned it.

"I…uh…got you something too," Kiba said, fiddling his thumbs nervously. "It's nowhere near as good as your gift, but…well, I'll just give it to you instead of blathering on." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small gift card that he handed over to Gaara. "I'm not really good at these things, so I usually just get people gift cards."

"Gamestop?" Gaara asked, almost amused. "It's…uh…" What could he say? Nice? Pfft. Romantic? Yeah right. "…practical," he ended up settling on.

"I'm really not good at these things," Kiba explained. "I'm so sorry. Your gift was amazing, and I just pull out a piece of crap."

"No, it's fine," Gaara said quickly. "I love it."

"That's such a bad lie," Kiba said with a small smile.

"It was worth a shot," Gaara said with a shrug. "It's fine. I didn't really want much. You're all I need." He leaned over the table to whisper into the dog lover's ear. "Besides, maybe when we get back to your house, you can give me something else." He licked the shell of Kiba's ear to complete the implication, before standing up. "And I'll also let you pick up the bill," he said as he walked out the door to the car.

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	33. Neji Interlude

**Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't have to take out student loans for college.**

**This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Thirty-Three: Neji (Interlude)

Neji sat at the café, casually sipping his coffee and reading the paper. There wasn't anything particularly interesting, but he needed something to distract him from his personal issues. He and his uncle had gotten in another row last night, and this was the worst yet. Neji guessed that he should be grateful that Hiashi was letting Hinata 'back into the family' at all, but he still found it unfair that she should have to marry Suigetsu. He took advantage of her when she didn't know any better! How could he welcome him into the family like they were friends?

That's the sad part; they _were_ friends. They started off as mutual friends of Sasuke, but Suigetsu eventually joined their little group after the semester had started, being Gaara's roommate and all. Neji never expected it from him. Sure he was a bit of a playboy, but he wasn't a _rapist_! And yeah, date rape is still rape in Neji's eyes.

Ever since he had confronted Hiashi about his attitude towards Hinata, the Hyuuga patriarch had been distant from him. Neji knew he no longer saw Neji as the one who would inherit the company, but as someone who would have to be watched carefully. Now that Neji made it clear that he wouldn't allow Hiashi to influence him, Hiashi couldn't let him get too powerful. He had lost what he had thought of as a catspaw, and he didn't like it.

So, very quickly, Hiashi started to stop inviting Neji to important conferences and meetings with high-up executives. He no longer introduced Neji as 'the best thing to come out of Hyuuga since myself.' No, that honor now belonged to Hanabi, Hinata's younger brother and Neji's cousin, even though he hadn't yet reached the age of ten.

It was infuriating, but a small voice in Neji's head told him that this was how things were meant to be, anyway. Fathers leave things for their children. Children inherit things from their parents. It's that simple. In any normal world, Hanabi would be the first person Hiashi would consider as his heir, not Neji. The only reason he ever considered Neji was because he was a whole decade older than Hanabi and had proven himself business-savvy from an early age.

And now that all went out the window.

He sipped his coffee again, looking up at the clock on the wall of the café. She was supposed to have been her five minutes ago, and while Neji was used to Sakura always being a little late, he was really anxious after his fight with his uncle, and he desperately needed somebody to vent to. He looked back down at the paper and turned the page, slightly angered at the small headline in the business section.

'_Hyuga Corp. takes over Arame Industries!'_ the caption read. Neji skimmed the story, unsurprised to find that it was Hiashi who was behind the whole thing. Normally he would have included Neji in on his plans, but that was before the shit hit the fan. Now, instead of being Hiashi's right-hand man, he was…nothing.

He had always seen himself as the CEO of Hyuga Corp. in time. It would probably take a while, and it would only happen when Hiashi became physically or mentally unable to run the company, but it would happen. Neji would be the CEO, and he would take care of his family and Hinata and Hanabi's families. He would be the best patriarch of their family yet, possessing the business-savvy of his predecessor and the compassion of his deceased father. He would make the Hyuga name even more famous. He would be a household name, like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs.

That was last month. Now he was old news. At best, Hanabi would give him a high position in the company. At worst, he would have to find a new career choice, or, even worse, work for a competitor to Hyuga Corp. His entire future was in jeopardy, all because he stood up for his family, for what's right. It's ironic that for all the importance that Hiashi placed on family, it was standing up for family that made Neji a pariah in his uncle's eyes.

Funnily enough, however, Neji wouldn't do anything different if he had the chance. He knew that his father would be proud of him for trying to help Hinata, and he was proud of himself for it. Even if things didn't work out in Hyuga Corp, Neji would still have Hinata and his friends…well, most of them.

He was still incredibly angry at Sasuke and Naruto. In fact, he wasn't sure who he was more pissed at. Was it Sasuke, who kept his relationship a secret and lied to him for months about dating the person Hinata loves, or was it Naruto for breaking up with Hinata for Sasuke even after he insisted he was straight and liked Hinata? He didn't know who to hate more.

He kept going over the last exchange in his head he had with them. He had called Sasuke a backstabber. And rightly so – the guy had pretended that he wasn't dating the man Hinata had fallen for. He went behind their backs, which was somehow worse than coming out and telling them about it.

If Sasuke had been honest about their relationship, Neji wouldn't be so pissed. He'd still be a little angry, but most of that would be directed at Naruto, who led Hinata on no matter how secretive they were being. Neji would have gotten over any anger towards Sasuke pretty quickly, and would have been relatively happy for his friend. Neji knew how much Naruto meant to him.

But instead, Sasuke and Naruto chose to keep quiet about it. Who keeps a secret like that from friends? Gaara insisted that he didn't know, and so did Sakura. He wasn't sure about that, but he didn't want to get into fights with them as well. He couldn't even blame them if Sasuke had gone to one of them and admitted it. It wasn't their problem to get into the middle of, and it wasn't their secret to tell.

It was times like this that Neji missed Tenten. When they were dating in high school, it was so easy. If he had a problem, he told her, and she was always so good at handling it. She would give him stellar advice, or help him get over it. Of course, she had issues of her own, but dealing with those came with the territory of having a relationship.

When he and Tenten broke up over Halloween – ironically the same day that Naruto and Sasuke apparently got together – she had told him that she wanted to be free when she went back to her university. It hurt a little bit, but Neji completely understood. College was a time to explore, not be tied down by a relationship. Neji was hundreds of miles away from Tenten, and visiting wasn't possible except for a few occasions.

She came back on Neji to break up with him, but they stayed friends. When she came back for Thanksgiving, he hung out with her, but she wasn't able to go to his party. And he had yet to see her since she got back after the semester ended. They had drifted apart, and though they were friendly, he couldn't even call her a true friend anymore since they never spoke.

'_Who are my friends?'_ he wondered. Certainly not Suigetsu. Even if he would consider him a friend before, that was before. He wasn't sure where he stood with Sasuke, but he was leaning towards putting him in the Suigetsu category. Gaara and Sakura – they were his friends, but he knew he was neither of their best friend. Gaara and Sasuke were always closer than Neji was to either of them, and he had Kiba besides. As for Sakura, she had been hanging out with Ino, Shikamaru, and Kiba more often than she had before.

Times like this, he felt so alone.

That's when he saw the pinkette walk into the café, rushing to sit down in the open seat across from Neji.

"Sorry I'm late," she said hurriedly. "Ino got into a little situation with Shikamaru, and she needed me." _'Of course,'_ Neji thought somewhat grimly. "And I was running ahead of schedule too," the girl said with a bit of a frown. She finally looked at Neji – gave him a real good look – and her face softened. "Oh, what happened now?"

"It's Hiashi," Neji said shortly, and Sakura understood immediately. Even though she had begun to grow a little more distant from Neji recently, she was still his go-to person whenever he had family issues. Neji passed her the newspaper and showed her the headline of the business section. "He never even indicated this to me. He's done with me." He was trying hard to retain his composure.

"You don't know that," Sakura lied, trying to sooth his anger. "This might have just been something top-secret. You know, something he had to keep close to the chest?" Neji gave her a look that told her he clearly wasn't buying what she was selling. "Or not. Look, I know that this must be hard for you, but you did the right thing. If Hiashi isn't willing to accept that you love your family, then so be it. You don't even need him anyway. Who says you have to go into the family business?"

"It's my life," he told Sakura. "It's all I've ever known. If I'm not a Hyuga, then who am I?"

"You're Neji _Hyuga_," she told him. "You'll never stop being a Hyuga, no matter how much Hiashi might wish it. If you really want to get him to change his mind, it won't be as hard as you think. You've done it before." Neji gave her a confused look. "About Hinata," she clarified. "You told me that before you spoke to him, he wouldn't even consider letting Hinata back into the family, but just a few days later, he extended his offer to Suigetsu and allowed her back."

"That wasn't me," Neji argued, but Sakura was having none of it.

"Your uncle is a hard man, Neji," she began, "but nobody got that far in business without being able to listen to good advice from trusted people. He might not like what you had to say, but he saw the sense in it. That's why he changed his mind. Even though he might not like that you're not so easy to manipulate anymore, he knows that you're smart. If you present your reasons for being a good advisor and successor to him in a clear, logical, _level-headed _way," she said, putting extra emphasis on the 'level-headed' part, "he will listen and consider it."

Neji hadn't thought of it that way, but it made sense. Instead of being angry and argumentative, if he approached Hiashi like he did a week ago about Hinata, then this whole situation would be a lot easier. Even if Hiashi wasn't totally convinced, it couldn't hurt to show that he wasn't just some angry, emotional teenager, that he still possessed the intellect and sense to present his argument and think clearly.

Suddenly, he saw Sakura shift in her seat and realized that she wanted to talk about something. "What is it?" he asked her, feeling bad for unloading all his problems about his family without even thinking to ask how Sakura was.

"I'm worried about Sasuke," she admitted, and Neji felt anger pool in his stomach. Maybe it was a bad idea to ask. "He's been gone for days, and he hasn't been answering calls – not from me, not from Itachi, not from Suigetsu, and not from Gaara. It's like he just disappeared off the fact of the earth. And when I went to the mansion to see if he had come back yet, there was no one there. Even Itachi left. I tried to find Kakashi to see if he knew where they went, but Kakashi was missing, too. I'm starting to get really worried. What if something bad happened?"

"I'm not the person to talk to about it," Neji said stiffly. "You know how I feel about Sasuke."

"You might think you hate him, Neji, but you don't," Sakura said, starting to get somewhat angry. "You're just mad that he didn't tell us about Naruto, and I am too. You think I like knowing that one of my best friends was keeping something big like this from me? But I'm still worried, and I'm sure you are too, deep down inside. You can't just be someone's friend for so long and not care about them when they're in trouble."

"Sasuke made this bed himself," Neji said adamantly. "Not only did he do this to himself by keeping secrets, but he decided to run away instead of confronting the issue, and he took his boy toy with him." Neji refused to say Naruto's name. "If he ended up getting himself in trouble, then it's his own damn fault."

Sakura stood up with a huff. "You know, for such a great guy, you can be a big asshole, Neji," she said angrily. "You and I both know that Sasuke was in love with Naruto long before he and Hinata started dating. He helped him when he was sick after what his father did to him, and he forced himself to stay away when he thought it would make Naruto worse. He sacrificed so much for him, and then when Hinata asked for a chance to date him, Sasuke didn't object, because he wanted to be a _good friend_. If Naruto was gay, then it had nothing to do with Sasuke. Sasuke just happened to be the person that Naruto wanted to be with. As bad as I feel for Hinata for what she's going through, you can't blame Sasuke for this. He probably only kept this a secret because he was afraid you'd react like this! I know I would have!" With that, she picked up her pocketbook and stormed away angrily.

'_Just great,'_ Neji thought. _'She wasn't even here five minutes before I drove her away.'_ What was going on with him lately? Was the world just being unfair, or was Neji alienating himself from his friends? He wasn't in the wrong, right? How could being mad at someone who stole his cousin's boyfriend be wrong?

'_She asked him for permission to date Naruto?'_ Neji asked himself, wondering why it would be necessary. _'And he let her?'_ If someone had asked him permission to date Tenten right after their break-up, he would have punched them, even if it was his best friend. If Hinata actually decided to ask Sasuke permission – which she wouldn't have needed if she wanted to date Naruto anyway – why would Sasuke say yes?

'_Am I being an asshole, or are they all wrong?'_ he asked himself. He suddenly wasn't so sure…about anything.

* * *

When Neji got back to the Hyuga Mansion, he resolved to talk to Hiashi…later. First, he wanted to go to see Hinata. He slowly got to climbing the stairs, hoping to take as much time before he would have to eventually face his uncle. When he found Hinata, she was sitting with Ino and Sakura – who had apparently just showed up a few minutes earlier after storming out of the café. He was also quite surprised to see Tenten sitting there as well. He was confused for a moment before he looked at the binders that were strewn across the room, open to pictures of dresses. Some were white wedding gowns, and others were colorful bridesmaid dresses.

She was planning the wedding. And she looked…happy.

"Neji!" Tenten was the first to notice him standing there, but all the other girls looked up at her announcement. Hinata closed the binder as if she was caught doing something naughty, and Neji wondered why she reacted like that. "I haven't seen _you_ in a while," his ex-girlfriend told him. "We have to catch up sometime."

"Yeah," Neji said dumbly as he looked at the four girls. They were obviously going to be bridesmaids. Well, except for Sakura, who would probably be the maid of honor. When she was planning the wedding, Hinata looked almost…happy about this. "Um, not to be rude or anything, but I was hoping I could speak to Hinata for a moment. Privately," he added after a beat.

Sakura was the first to stand up, but Ino and Tenten weren't far behind. The three walked out of the room talking about flower arrangements and which cakes should be served at the wedding. They were probably going downstairs to talk about it some more. They were pretty excited to be planning a wedding, obviously. Hinata looked pretty excited too, before Neji showed up.

When the girls had left the room, Neji closed the door and sat down next to Hinata. He opened the binder that Hinata had closed. It was still on her lap, and her hand was still in the middle as a bookmark. Neji opened the binder to the point that Hinata had been at and saw a bunch of wedding dresses, two of them circled.

"These are beautiful," he said. The first of the two was simple; it was more a gown than a dress, something that someone might wear to a nice party. It was very slim, and it looked like it would hug Hinata's body. It was a creamy color, off-white. He was slightly surprised that she wasn't looking for a traditional wedding dress. Then, he looked at the second one. Everything the first dress was, the second one wasn't, and vice versa. The second dress was exactly what someone might have worn in the 90s – big and loud. It came with a hat, veil, and train. "Which one do you want?"

"I-I'm going to try them both on," Hinata said. "I'm not a fan of the second, but Father wants me to wear it."

"If you don't like it, then don't wear it," Neji told her. "It's your wedding. It's all about making you happy." She was quiet, and he didn't like it. "Do you think…" he paused and took a breath, "do you think this will make you happy?"

"D-Do I think what could make me happy?" she asked timidly.

"This," he told her. "The wedding, Suigetsu, being married off to someone that your father picks instead of someone you want." He turned to look her in the eyes. "Can you really be happy with that?"

"I might not like everything about the situation," Hinata admitted, "but it's not all bad." She placed her hand on her stomach, had not yet started to show. "I just want to make sure that this baby has a family when it's born. He or she deserves to have a mother and a father who are married and committed to making a family work. And even if we never really find love with each other, I think that we can love this baby enough to make up for it."

"You looked excited before," Neji said with a sad smile. "But when you saw me, you got all jumpy and tried to hide the dresses," he said, lightly touching the binder in her hands.

"I know how much you hate this," Hinata admitted.

"It's not about me though, is it?" Neji asked with a sigh. "If you can handle marrying Suigetsu after what he did to you, then I guess I'll have to get over it."

"I hated it just as much as you," Hinata confided. "I cried myself to sleep a bunch of times whenever I thought about having to choose between marrying Suigetsu or being left out on my own. But when Suigetsu came to me and we started talking – you know, getting to know each other; if we're going to spend the rest of our lives together, we ought to know each other a little better – I realized that he was never really a bad guy. He kind of let his libido control him a lot, but he was never malicious. He didn't do anything I didn't ask of him.

"That's when I started thinking maybe it could work," she told him. "He has a lot of growing up to do before he can be a father, but the Suigetsu that has been helping me plan the wedding is a completely different person from the guy who was having sex with anything with a hole. It's a pretty nice change."

Neji let that sink in for a little. This entire time, he was getting angry at Suigetsu and the situation that Hinata was in, whereas she was getting to know him and getting over her anger. She had begun looking at the bright side – at a future with her family, Suigetsu and their child – instead of focusing how the world had wronged her. Suddenly, Neji had another question.

"And Sasuke?" Neji asked. "How do you feel about him and Naruto being together?" He almost didn't want to know. Hinata looked quite taken aback, but she answered him regardless.

"At first I was upset," she told him. "I was more sad than angry, but I got over it. I realized that if Naruto was gay, then the sooner he broke up with me, the better. I don't think he used me to cover it up or anything; I think he was genuinely confused. I spoke to Kiba and Ino, and they said that he didn't even realize it until the night before he broke up with me.

"As soon as I realized that things between me and Naruto were destined to fail, it was easier to accept their relationship," Hinata told her cousin. "If Naruto was going to end up with a guy, I'm glad it was Sasuke. He fell so hard for Naruto, and I saw how much it destroyed him when Naruto and I were dating. To be honest, it was selfish of me to date him after I knew what he meant to Sasuke."

"But Sasuke told you it was okay," Neji argued.

"Just because he said that doesn't mean it was true," Hinata told him. "How would he have sounded if he forbade me from dating someone?" Neji had to admit she had a point, but she couldn't sway him. He was still pissed at all the secret-keeping. "Look, I know that you're mad at both of them. But when they come back," she paused. "_If_ they come back, I want you to at least talk to them. At the very least, talk to Sasuke. You two have been friends too long to let this destroy it all. I think if you just talk to him, it will resolve itself."

"Maybe I would talk to him," Neji admitted, "if he wasn't being such a coward and hiding. Hinata frowned, but nodded anyway.

"Thank you, Neji," she said.

After his talk with Hinata, he resolved to talk to Hiashi now. He had to do it before he chickened out. He passed Ino, Sakura, and Tenten on the way down, but didn't stop to talk to them. He needed to face this sooner, rather than later.

It turns out it would have to happen later, because as he stopped outside Hiashi's office, Suigetsu stepped outside, looking a little overwhelmed. Sasuke knew that feeling; he'd felt it often right after a meeting with Hiashi. When Neji looked at Suigetsu, he knew he had to talk to him now, even if it meant putting off his confrontation with his uncle.

"Suigetsu," he called out to the teen. "We have to talk."

"If you're just going to yell at me and get pissed off, then I'm not talking to you," Suigetsu said. He walked towards Neji anyway. "What do you want?"

"I want to know why you're doing this," Neji told him. "Is it just for the money and the prospect of a future with the company, or are you doing this for Hinata and the baby?"

"Are you calling me a gold digger?" Suigetsu asked angrily.

"I'm asking you a question," Neji said, not backing down in the slightest. "When you found out about the baby, you hid away from everyone for weeks. And now that you're engaged, Hinata's looking forward to giving your child a family. She thinks that you're as invested in this marriage and this baby as she is, and I'm asking you right now if that's true."

"You want me to say that I'm excited to be getting married at eighteen?" Suigetsu asked, his eyes narrowing. "What would you do if all of a sudden you were engaged to Ino? You don't have romantic feelings for her, you haven't had any sort of relationship with her, and you don't really know her all that well. And to top it all off, she's pregnant with your child. I'm not saying that I'm doing this for the money. I have a responsibility to take care of the mess I caused. But don't expect me to be excited. The most interaction I've had with your family in the past few weeks has been Hiashi telling me exactly how I'm going to live my life for the foreseeable future. So pardon me if I'm not baking cakes and picking out the venue."

He pushed past Neji to leave, but Neji grabbed his arm to stop him. Suigetsu ripped his arm free, but stopped walking away.

"Hinata wants to make things work," Neji told Suigetsu, changing his tone of voice from angry to serious. "If you work with us, with her, I promise things will be easier. Don't isolate yourself. Hinata and I will help you maintain as much control over your own life as possible, but only if you decide to truly commit to this family.

"Hiashi is a hard man who values honor above all else," Neji explained. "He will try to mold you into what he wants you to be. Unless you want to be another pawn in his game, I suggest you try to make things with Hinata work." Suigetsu gave him a look as if he was scrutinizing Neji's…proposal? Offer? He didn't know what to call it. Was it a threat? Instead of staying to analyze the situation, he decided to leave the Hyuga standing alone in the hallway.

After Suigetsu left, Neji's thoughts returned to his uncle, with whom he would have to talk eventually. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and walked over to the door. He took another deep breath – his nerves were starting to get out of control – before knocking twice on the door. He waited a few seconds before he heard the invitation to enter.

"I am sorry to intrude, uncle, but I have something I wish to say," Neji said when he stepped inside the office. Hiashi quickly finished typing whatever he was typing before indicating that Neji should take a seat. Neji nodded and sat himself down across from his uncle, feeling his iron gaze. Neji bowed his head. _'Now I will have to bite the bullet,'_ he told himself. "I wish to apologize. I know that I have been ungrateful to you for all your help, and it was not my place to question you about Hinata or Suigetsu. It was just my attempt to keep the family together and ensure that we receive no bad publicity over this."

This was good. Neji appealed to Hiashi as a family man and as a businessman. Now that Hiashi had already silently admitted he was wrong for disinheriting Hinata by allowing her back in the mansion, he couldn't argue with Neji's assessment.

"Please forgive me, uncle," Neji said, keeping his head bowed. "I will not question you anymore. I understand that you know best." A little bit of ego stroking, and he should be good.

"You are correct," Hiashi said coolly. "It _wasn't_ your place." Neji winced, but hoped that Hiashi wouldn't notice. "However, I accept your apology, and your reasoning for what you did. You will make it up to me by attending a function with the Hyuga Corp. board. I assume you've heard about the acquisition of Arame Industries?" he asked.

Neji knew what this was – it was Hiashi rubbing the fact that he excluded Neji from the deal right in the younger man's face. It was exerting his control. Neji slowly nodded and his uncle smirked.

"The former CEO, Arame Kiji, has been made a board member for his support of the acquisition," Hiashi explained. "We are celebrating the takeover and introducing him to the Hyuga board. I wish for you to attend."

Neji nodded. "Of course, uncle." His uncle looked uncertain for a moment, but the look faded and he continued.

"I would also like for you to extend your invitation to your cousin and her…betrothed," Hiashi told him. "It will be a good opportunity for them to meet the board members, as they will be invited to the wedding. I want Suigetsu to make a good impression on them – you'll see that he knows what is expected of him, I assume?"

"Yes, uncle," Neji said. _'Just keep kissing his ass,'_ Neji told himself. _'After a while, he'll forget that he was ever cross with me.'_

"And bring a date, Neji," Hiashi said, sounding exasperated. "It will soon be time for you to marry as well, and it's past time you started a serious relationship. Don't bring Tenten – you and I both know that she's not Hyuga material." Even though he and Tenten were over, his uncle's assertion made Neji angry – as it was meant to. This was part of the game, Neji knew. He wanted Neji to react – to yell or scream or get mad. But Neji wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

"Is that all, uncle?" Neji asked him. Hiashi's eyes _almost_ narrowed, but he didn't let Neji show that he was upset at the lack of reaction.

"That will be all," Hiashi confirmed.

* * *

"So what now?" Sasuke asked as Itachi sank down into the chair, letting the reality sink in. _Their mother was alive._ It was still hard for Sasuke to believe, and he'd had hours to let the reality sink in. He looked to Kakashi for some guidance, but the usually clear-headed man now looked lost. The only person in the room who wanted Sasuke's question answered more than the Uchiha himself was Hashirama, who knew that he would probably end up getting the short end of the stick. He just hoped that Tobi would bail him out of whatever legal issues this caused.

"You said that removing the drugs could wake her up," Kakashi said to the doctor, almost ignoring Sasuke.

"It could also kill her," Hashirama told him. "There's no guarantee."

Kakashi looked at the others in the room and sighed. "Naruto, do you mind staying here and keeping an eye on Senju? I would like to speak to Sasuke and Itachi outside." Naruto nodded, so Kakashi led the two Uchihas outside. When the door was closed, Kakashi sighed. "You know, Sasuke, when Itachi told me that you needed us immediately, I didn't think…"

"How do you think I felt?" Sasuke asked. "I don't know what I was looking for, but I'm just as shocked as the two of you."

"How did you even find this in the first place?" Kakashi asked. "Is this why you came here?"

"Yeah," Sasuke admitted. "It turns out that the lock box Uncle Madara left me in his will had clues to lead me here. It gave me Senju's name and the name of the Sharingan Project, but I had no idea what it was. I looked up Senju online and saw he was in school with Uncle Madara and worked at a hospital in New York.

"When Naruto and I got here, we went to see Senju, and he gave us some BS about not knowing anything about the Sharingan Project," Sasuke continued. "We broke into his office and saw some files, so we decided to follow him here. They tried to catch us, but we got here in time. He found us and we made him explain what he did before I called you."

The hallway was silent as Sasuke and Itachi waited for Kakashi to decide what to do. None of them had any ideas on how to deal with such an odd situation. Finally, Kakashi spoke up.

"We'll call the police," Kakashi told them. "They'll probably arrest Dr. Senju and transfer Mikoto to another hospital. We'll speak to a few doctors and get different opinions about this. I don't know if I trust Senju's explanation." Sasuke nodded and Itachi agreed. The two Uchiha entered the room as Kakashi dialed 9-1-1.

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	34. Return of the Prodigal Mother

**Disclaimer: More witty disclaimers. I'm running out of them…uh…I don't own Naruto?**

**I promised one of my reviewers that I'd promote her first story if I liked it, and after reading it, I have to say it's a pretty good story. Her name is **PshhAnonymous**, and the story is called **Notes**. It's a SasuNaru, and I have some high hopes for it.**

**This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Thirty-Four: Return of the Prodigal Mother

_The gel on her stomach was wet, but not entirely uncomfortable. The wand pressed to her stomach was cold to the touch, but still completely bearable. She held her husband's hand as they looked at the monitor. The image appeared, and Mikoto remembered her sonograms while pregnant with Itachi and Sasuke._

"_Everything looks good from here, Mrs. Uchiha," the doctor told her. This was all she wanted to hear. She couldn't care less about anything except that this child was healthy. She knew she wasn't out of the woods yet, but she was close enough that it was safe to tell people._

_Who would she tell first? Her mother, maybe. Or Kakashi. He'd been so close to their family in the last few weeks since Rin and Obito's deaths. She'd have to tell Madara, too, she guessed. As much as she wanted to distance her family from that man and his business, she knew Fugaku would want him to know._

_And then there were Sasuke and Itachi. She wanted to tell them the minute she found out – she knew Sasuke would love being a big brother. And Itachi was always so good with Sasuke, making sure to spend time playing with his brother. Itachi would be a good example for Sasuke to follow. She only hoped that he wouldn't mind not being the youngest anymore._

"_Can you tell the gender yet?" Fugaku asked, hypnotized by the images on the screen. Mikoto turned her head quickly at the word 'gender,' and looked at her OB/gyn expectantly._

"_From this angle, it looks like you two are going to have another boy," the doctor told them, and Mikoto threw her head back in laughter. Still outnumbered by the guys. Why couldn't she get some femininity in the family? Someone to back her up when she insisted that the toilet seat be left down?_

_It didn't really matter to her, though. A boy, a girl, it was all the same. As long as her child was healthy, she was happy. After the appointment, she and Fugaku began walking down to the parking garage, where their car was waiting._

"_Mangekyo is having a Turn of the Millennia Bash," Fugaku told Mikoto as they ascended the steps, slowly so that she didn't fall. He didn't want to get into an argument, but he wanted them to go to it. And yet, he knew exactly what she'd say._

"_I don't feel safe there," she told her husband for what seemed like the millionth time. "I know he's your brother and you love him, but you can't pretend that having any sort of familial relationship with him is a danger to us, the kids, and the baby. He's not good for us. Don't you remember why you left Japan?"_

"_He's all alone for the holidays, Mikoto," Fugaku said. "Rin and Obito just died. He needs something to pull him out of the funk he's in." He paused. "I want to name the child Obito for him."_

_Mikoto's initial reaction was 'no,' but she didn't want to voice it to her husband. She knew he felt bad for his brother, even if all this pain and loneliness was brought on solely by his habits and profession. He knew what he was getting into when he joined the business, and he didn't win any sympathy from Mikoto because he got his family killed._

_The last few weeks, Mikoto had been looking over her own shoulders. This sort of thing was enough to make a sane woman paranoid. Another enemy of Madara's could be lurking in any corner, just waiting to kill her and Fugaku to get to Madara. Being near Madara in any fashion was too much of a risk to her family for Mikoto to allow it._

"_We can name the baby Obito," she conceded. To be honest, she rather liked the name, and didn't mind honoring the sweet boy that was tragically killed before his time for the sins of his father. "But in return we will stay far away from Madara's Millennium Bash." They finally reached the floor their car was parked on, and Fugaku led Mikoto to the car._

"_I guess," he said, sounding somewhat reluctant. If it was anyone else, Mikoto would agree that he couldn't spend the holidays alone. But this wasn't anyone else. This was a dangerous man with a dangerous life that she didn't want her kids exposed to._

_They got into the car._

"_If you want to invite him over for Christmas dinner –" she began, but the sentence was never finished. The ignition began, and the car exploded, erupting in flames._

* * *

The last few hours were a blur to Sasuke. Sometime after Kakashi had made the call, three squads of police from the NYPD showed up to investigate the situation. Hashirama – for a reason that Sasuke would never know – was more than happy to confess to what happened. He was arrested, and the police arranged for Mikoto to be moved to the New York Presbyterian Hospital, one of the most renowned hospitals in the city.

It was hard moving her. Itachi wouldn't let them take her unless he was sitting with her in the ambulance the whole ride to the hospital, and Sasuke was somewhat grateful. An irrational part of his mind thought that if he lost sight of his mother, he would never see her again. Instead, Kakashi drove Sasuke and Naruto to the hospital, following the ambulance the whole way. Sasuke and Naruto both decided to sit in the back.

Naruto tried several times to strike up a conversation, to pull Sasuke out of his depressing thoughts. He wasn't successful. It wasn't that Sasuke was mad at him or anything, but this whole situation was hard on the Uchiha. He wasn't going to be very talkative right now, and he hoped Naruto understood.

It seems he did. Naruto got quiet after a few minutes, and then decided to unbuckle his seat belt and move over to where Sasuke was sitting. He held the Uchiha for the rest of the ride, and while part of Sasuke wasn't glad that Naruto had to be here for such a personal, familial business, he was more grateful for his boyfriend's presence and support.

He tried to be happy – his mother was alive! That was great, wasn't it? And just days ago, Naruto had told Sasuke that he loved him. It was like things were finally working out for him. So why did he feel so…depressed?

'_Because she's not alive,'_ he reminded himself. _'Not truly. She's still stuck in a coma; she might as well be dead. And if they remove the medication to try and wake her up, they might kill her for good.'_

When they finally arrived in the hospital, it took far too long, in Sasuke's opinion, to find Mikoto's hospital room. When they finally got there, Itachi was watching the nurse and doctors work like a hawk.

"…in this IV?" came the end of the nurse.

"I don't know," Itachi said, sounding incredibly stressed out. "It's whatever drug that put her in the coma and saved her life."

"We're gonna have to take it out, alright?" she said, starting to work on the IV.

"No!" Sasuke shouted, running into the room. All four people turned to look at him, and he looked at Itachi, helplessly, for help. When he saw Itachi wouldn't side with him, he spoke up. "The doctor who did this thinks that removing the drug will kill her."

"We can't help that, son," the first doctor said. He was a tall man who obviously hadn't shaved that morning. His face as plain as the rest of his body. "We can't legally allow her to stay on whatever's in there, and we don't have a supply of it, anyway. Even if we kept it in now, it would run out. It's best to do it now."

Kakashi and Naruto finally caught up to Sasuke, and the four looked on as the other doctor (a blonde girl who looked like an older, bustier version of Ino) left the room, allowing the other two to work on her. The nurse followed her but returned a moment later with more IV fluids. The doctor expertly pulled out Hashirama's IV and put in his own.

Suddenly, as the doctor was about to inspect Mikoto's body for cuts, scrapes, and other abrasions, she started to spasm on the table. Itachi and Kakashi looked on in horror as Mikoto began to seize up, and the doctor stepped back. When the doctors began to work, Sasuke choked out and turned to bury his face into Naruto's chest. Naruto held his boyfriend and looked on in an almost resigned sadness.

When Mikoto finally stopped shaking, Sasuke heard the sound of the flat line. _'It can't be like this,'_ he thought. _'She had a heartbeat back at the clinic. She was alive.'_

"Get a crash cart," the doctor ordered, and the nurse was quick to comply. Kakashi and Naruto looked away. They couldn't bear to look. Itachi, on the other hand, couldn't look away. It was like watching a trainwreck. "Clear."

* * *

Ino had to be as quiet as a mouse. No, quieter; mice were loud; she had to be a quiet like a shadow. The door opened with the faintest of creaks, and she tiptoed inside, making sure not to make too much noise. She had to step over various articles of clothing that were all over the floor – geez, did Shikamaru _ever_ use a laundry basket, or were they too _troublesome_? – and finally made it to his bed.

She was momentarily glad that he had a single room. If he had a roommate, then her routine of sneaking in to fuck with the lazy bum would probably be a lot creepier. She remembered the time that she spent an hour to paint his nails while he slept, and the other time when she buried him under a mountain of his own dirty laundry so he could barely move when he woke up. She tried to think of what to do now.

She didn't know what to do. She looked around the room for some inspiration, and her eyes landed on Shikamaru's alarm clock. Suddenly inspired, she walked over and set the alarm, looking at her phone for the time. It was already 11:42, so she set it to 11:43. She quickly jumped under the brunette's bed and waited.

It wasn't long before she was greeted with the sound of the alarm. She could hear Shikamaru groggily shuffling above her to turn off the alarm, and she prayed that he'd get out of bed instead of rolling over. She heard a tired grumbling that sounded like "it's too early" to her. The bed creaked as he sat himself up on the side of his bed and then stood up.

Ino reached out from her position under the bed and firmly grabbed his ankles, making a growling noise. Shikamaru jumped and tripped over her hands, falling face first into a pile of laundry. Ino began guffawing, leaving her little space under the bed so that she could gloat.

"You know, when I told you that I was still afraid of monsters under the bed until three years ago, I didn't expect you to do _that_," Shikamaru grumbled, picking himself up.

"I couldn't resist!" Ino defended. "You sleep so soundly. And you're never up when we make plans."

"We had plans?" Shikamaru asked, confusedly.

"Well, we _would_ have plans if you were awake to answer your text messages," Ino said, throwing the phone that was on the bedside table at the other boy. "Now get dressed. We're hanging out with Kiba and Gaara today." It was then that Shikamaru realized he was clad only in his boxers. He blushed and quickly got up to get clothes.

Ino's gaze followed her friend, and she couldn't help but notice how he looked when he was nearly naked. He was tall and not very muscular, so he looked lanky when he had a shirt on, but without the shirt, he filled out nicely. He was toned, but not incredibly muscular, which appealed to Ino. She didn't like people who piled on muscle.

Shikamaru's legs were about as thin as his arms – those were two places where he wasn't incredibly toned. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. They were a little too hairy for Ino's liking, and she suddenly started thinking of ways to get Shikamaru to shave. Her train of thought stopped abruptly. Why did she care what Shikamaru's legs looked like?

"Can you look away?" Shikamaru asked, a blush covering his face and threatening to spread down his neck. "I still have to change my underwear."

"Oh," Ino said, her face reddening as well. She quickly turned around to allow Shikamaru to change. She had to ignore the small voice in her head that was reminding her that Shikamaru was completely naked behind her. It wouldn't be the first time he was naked in front of her – she briefly remembered their time in Sasuke's hot tub – but she hadn't really paid much attention to it then.

What had changed?

"You can turn around now," Shikamaru said, and when Ino turned around, he was already fully dressed, ready for whatever they were going to do. He had a black long sleeved shirt that was just _slightly_ too long for his arms, and a pair of blue jeans. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to meet Kiba and Gaara at the mall," Ino announced. "We'll have lunch and shop and hang out." She hated picking what they were going to do, because there really wasn't that much to do in Konoha except shop and drink. But if she left it up to Shikamaru, he'd never go out to hang out. If anything, he'd let her come over while he took a nap and call that 'hanging out.'

When they got to the mall, it wasn't hard to find Gaara and Kiba. They were walking away from Hollister, arguing about whether or not Kiba should have gotten some shirt that was on sale.

"I think it looked good!" Kiba yelled, which was what caught Ino's attention. She grabbed Shikamaru's wrist and turned him in the right direction before walking towards her friends.

"It's _Hollister_," Gaara said with a loud sigh. "You look too preppy as it is. You don't need any help."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kiba asked, sounding offended.

"Hey boys," Ino said, strutting up to them mid-argument. Instead of replying to his boyfriend, Gaara greeted Ino, and the situation was diffused. "If this is what happens when you shop together, then maybe you shouldn't go on dates to the mall."

"We wouldn't have arguments at all if Kiba didn't insist on spending all his time in these overpriced stores," Gaara said offhandedly. "He pays them twice as much for a shirt with their logo all over it."

"Just because I'm not emo and I don't shop at Hot Topic –" Kiba began, but was cut off by Shikamaru.

"Will you two stop fighting?" he complained. "Listening to you two bicker like a married couple is too troublesome this early in the morning." None of the others had even bothered to tell him it was afternoon already. Instead, they just headed towards the food court.

When they finally sat down, Ino wasted no time in talking about the wedding. As the other boys ate, she talked about the flowers, decorations, and venue, while informing Gaara that Sakura's taste was "so 2011."

"And then there's the food for the reception," she continued, a good thirty minutes after she'd started the one-person conversation.

"Don't ruin it!" Kiba begged. "I want it to be a surprise." She looked at him with an odd expression.

"You mean Gaara hasn't already told you what's on the menu?" she asked with a confused expression. "I'd have thought Suigetsu would have told him."

"Why would Suigetsu have told Gaara what's going to be served at the reception?" Kiba asked, stunning Ino. Did that mean…Did Gaara not tell Kiba?

"Because I'm in the wedding party," Gaara told his boyfriend. "Suigetsu just asked me yesterday."

"What?" Kiba asked, sounding annoyed. "Does that mean that I'll be sitting all alone during the ceremony?

"I doubt it," Ino muttered. "Naruto's also going to be dateless since Sasuke's going to be the best man." She paused. "Well, if he ever decides to call Suigetsu back."

"How do you know all this stuff?" Shikamaru asked. "Do you just interrogate Suigetsu all day?"

"When I am planning this wedding, I am in my _zone_," Ino said, putting major emphasis on the last word. "Not a thing goes on that I am unaware of. I love planning parties."

"You would have thought the Hyuga's are rich enough to pay for a _real_ wedding planner," Kiba said sarcastically to Shikamaru, earning himself a kick from Ino under the table. "Ow, I'm just saying!"

"I have everything planned down to the last detail already, and the wedding isn't even until March," Ino said matter-of-factly. "This is going off without a hitch, or my name isn't Yamanaka Ino."

* * *

_The slamming of the car door. The ignition of the engine. The explosion of the bomb. The emptiness._

Was this…real?

_Three small silhouettes appeared in the distance. One looked to be about the size of a fifth grader, the second even smaller. That one looked about the size of a first grader, although she couldn't really know for sure. The last one was definitely an adult. Tall in stature, with short hair. Broad, but neither muscular nor heavyset._

_She knew it was them. Her family. She ran towards them, but they never got closer. The endless marathon, the race that never stopped. She ran for miles, but her body wasn't tired. She ran for days, and her body didn't stop. She ran for years. They didn't get closer. In fact, they seemed to just get further away._

_After a while – she couldn't really tell – she tried to stop. But her body was still running towards them. Another year passed, then another. She didn't know where she was, and those silhouettes were fading into the distance by now._

_Every now and then, she would hear a sound, a voice. Sometimes the voice would make no sense to her. Other times it spoke to her with compassion. Another voice soon joined, but it was only ever those two. They were the only sounds over her endless struggle to reach her family._

"_I'm sorry." _Is this real?_ "I failed my brother, and I've failed my nephew." _Is this real?_ "I won't fail you." _Is this real?

_She couldn't see them anymore. What was she running towards now? Specters of the family she had once loved? Where did they go? Why couldn't she find them? Years kept passing. She was still running. _Am I running towards something, or away from it? _She looked over her shoulder. When she tried to look back forward, though, she couldn't._

_She couldn't trip, and she didn't particularly need to see where she was going. She only looked back. _Maybe I'll see them if I look back. _What if she made a turn somewhere and lost her family that way? What if she had passed them and she didn't even know it? More years passed._

"_Your son made friends." _Is this real? _"He's growing into a fine adult." _Is this real? _"He's found love." _Is this real?

_When she finally stopped, an eternity had passed, but it only felt like moments. Or maybe moments had passed and it felt like an eternity. She looked around, but she couldn't see anything. Only a void. _Is this real? _Where did her family go? She had to find them._

_She touched her stomach. At least a part of her family would remain with her always. But when she searched for the familiar feeling of the child kicking, she found nothing. _Please tell me this isn't real. _She looked around again and saw nothing._

_Then, suddenly, a murder of crows seemed to appear out of thin air. Or were they ravens? She couldn't tell. They swarmed her. She guarded her face, but they didn't attack. They just flew around her, as if she was a light bulb and they were flies. There were so many that she could not see beyond their black to the white expanse that once lay before her. Now the world was black._

"_He's taking care of them." _Is this real? _"He still misses her." _Is this real? _"He's become very responsible." _Is this real?

_She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, everything was black. Maybe she didn't even open her eyes at all. She walked forward, one step at a time. One step. Then another. Then another. She was walking, and then she was falling._

_Falling._

_Falling._

_Falling._

Is this real?

"…_put them in danger…will fix it…stay away from them…pretend…goodbye…"_

Is this real?

"…_safe now…My new…Tobi…will take care…Dr. Senju…"_

Is this real?

"…_Sasuke…depressed…get over it…in his best…protect him anymore…"_

_She stopped falling, and she saw her world. Her house. Her family. Her car. She saw her sky. Her sidewalk. Her birds, tweeting in the trees. Her squirrels, scurrying on the ground. Her fish, swimming in the water._

"_Mother," her eldest said. He was older. Much older._

"_Mother," her second said. He was also older. He must have aged a dozen years._

"_Mother," her youngest said. She had never before laid eyes on him, but she knew who he was instantly._

"_Mikoto," her one-and-only said. He stood behind the children, looking much the same as he had years ago. Where the children looked vastly older, her husband was the same person._

"_Where am I?" she asked. "Is this real?"_

"_You're home, with family," her husband told her. He didn't answer the second question._

_She ran towards him, and this time, she reached him. She hugged him. She kissed him. She hugged him more. She turned to her sons and gave them the same treatment. Even the smallest, who seemed to be older than her eldest was when she last saw him._

"_I've missed you so much," she said, crying._

"_We've missed you too, Mother," her Sasuke said._

_It was pure joy. She could have lived in that moment forever._

_Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a crow. And another. And another. They soon flocked upon the family, but Mikoto held on tight to her Sasuke. Soon there were so many crows that she could barely see her husband. After he disappeared, her youngest faded from vision. It was becoming black again. She was afraid to close her eyes. When her Itachi faded, she nearly cried out._

I still have my Sasuke_._

_But the crows kept coming. She couldn't see him anymore, but she was still holding on tight. She could feel him, and that was all that mattered. He was slipping, though. Or maybe she was. It didn't really matter. She knew what was happening, and she was losing the will to fight it._

Is this real?

_She couldn't feel him anymore. She cried out, but no sound came. She tried to look, but she couldn't see an inch in front of her face. She tried to grasp for him, but could feel naught but for the winds of crows. She tried to smell him, to hear him, to find him. But there was nothing. Only her and the birds._

_Then, as quickly as they came, they vanished, leaving her standing in front of two people. She saw that Kakashi looked older than he had the last time she saw him, but he didn't look as drastically older as her sons looked. Then there was Madara. She hated him. _It's your fault. _Even though she didn't know where she was or what this was, she knew it was him. It was always him. Half his face was hidden behind an orange mask, with only one small opening over his right eye. The other side was unobscured, and she saw deep remorse._

"_My babies," she said._

"_They're fine," Kakashi acknowledged._

"_I'm sorry," Madara told her._

"_You're a monster," she told him. She could see him dead. If not now, then in the future. She knew it was vengeance for what he'd done. His words betrayed his actions and his actions his words. He lied and threatened, and for that he had earned an early grave. She had the gun, but he might as well have killed himself._

"_Is this real?" she asked to no one in particular._

"_Mikoto," called Kakashi. But the mouth of the Kakashi in front of her didn't move. "Mikoto you have to wake up."_

"_I'm dreaming," she said as the Madara faded. "This isn't real."_

_She felt a tingle in her chest, and then the crows came again. _No._ The shock came once more, and the crows all stopped their flying. They were suspended in motion._

"_Wake up!" Kakashi's voice called._

"_Three…two…one…clear," came another voice, right before the shock. The scene before her was fading as the voices called out. It was becoming white. It was becoming light. She could see her husband standing there, waiting for her. She longed to follow him._

"_Not yet," he told her._

"_Wake up."_

"_Clear."_

_The white faded to grey, and the grey to black. _Is this real? Where am I?

"Can you hear me?"

"She's alive."

"Will she wake up?"

_Is this real?_

"What happened?"

"We're not sure."

"It was probably a reaction to the removal of the drug."

"Will she be alright?"

_Is this real?_

"Mikoto, if you can hear me, wake up.

"Open your eyes."

Suddenly, a horizontal grey line appeared in the black world. As it slowly widened, she realized the line wasn't grey. Colors were beginning to come. Mostly white, but she could see some others too. She could see the different textures on the ceiling tile. She could see the teal gowns those doctors wore. She could see the black sweatshirt Kakashi was wearing. She could see his widened eyes.

"Mikoto!" he exclaimed.

There was a clamor at his exclamation. She closed her eyes once more. _Was this real?_ She opened them again and saw the doctors poking and prodding at her. _Was this real?_ When they were done, Kakashi sat next to her.

_Is this real?_

* * *

It was weird sitting like this in a restaurant he knew he'd never have been able to afford to eat at – even if Kisame hadn't lost all their money. It was even weirder that he was on a date with his fiancé. Even weirder was that her father was paying for this date.

"It was very nice for you to take me here, Suigetsu," Hinata said gracefully.

"I think it'll be good for us if we get to know each other before the wedding," Suigetsu said. "We're having a baby together, and I don't know all that much about you."

"What do you want to know?" Hinata asked.

"Anything," Suigetsu said. "I don't want us to feel like strangers." She was quiet, so Suigetsu continued. "What do you like to do for fun?"

"Fun?" Hinata repeated. "I guess I like hanging out with my friends." She saw that he was still looking expectantly at her, so she continued. "I…uh…like to ride in cars. It's relaxing." Suigetsu nodded, but continued looking at her as if she was expected to tell him more. "I-I write poetry, sometimes," she admitted. She wasn't very proud of her work, but it seemed like the sort of thing that Suigetsu was looking to hear.

"You like poetry?" he asked, intrigued by the information. "Any poet in particular?"

"Poe especially his 'Haunted Palace,'" Hinata said instantly, before realizing how forthcoming she was being. She was telling Suigetsu all this personal stuff and she still didn't know anything about him. "W-What about you? What do you like to do?"

"I'm not nearly as cultured as you," Suigetsu admitted. "I like music a lot, and TV."

"What kinds of music?" she asked.

"I listen to it all," he said, anticipating this question. It was always the first one asked. "I don't really listen to specific genres. Like, my favorite band right now is Automatic Loveletter, but I also like Grouplove and fun. I guess I like Florence + the Machine, too. What music do you listen to?"

"You'll think it's silly," Hinata said quietly.

"I promise not to laugh," Suigetsu said.

"I listen to a lot of pop," Hinata admitted. "Like Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna."

"I listen to that too, sometimes," Suigetsu told her. Her eyes widened almost comically, and Suigetsu smirked. "Are you kidding? Rihanna has some of the catchiest music I've ever heard."

"I-I guess I just didn't think you were the kind of guy to listen to that stuff," Hinata said timidly. "A-And what about TV? What shows do you watch?"

"I couldn't name them all," Suigetsu told her. She gave him a look that told him to name them anyway, so he sighed. "Well, I guess my favorite is Game of Thrones, but I also like Homeland and Boardwalk Empire. I watch the Walking Dead even though I'm not really all that into zombies. I like Revenge a lot, and I love the Voice." She looked at him with a curious expression. "What about you? What television do you watch?"

"I don't really watch much," she admitted. "The only show I watch is General Hospital. I-It's a soap opera that my mother used to watch with me. It reminds me of her." She smiled sadly.

"I hope you don't mind me asking," prefaced Suigetsu, "but what happened to your mom?" Hinata initially seemed upset by the question, but she took a deep breath and seemed to get rid of the feeling.

"Sh-she died in a car accident," Hinata admitted. "It was a few years ago, when I was still in middle school." She paused and looked at Suigetsu – although on second thought, it looked more like she was staring at a fixed point near him, not really looking at anything in particular. "I can still remember the last conversation we had. We were talking about that soap opera. She told me that she thought that one of the new characters was secretly one of the main characters' brother. It was getting late, so she sent me to bed. I didn't see her the next morning before I left to school, and I never saw her again."

Suigetsu was silent, absorbing the new information. He had assumed that Hinata's mother had died somehow – Hiashi didn't seem like the guy to get a divorce, and he'd never seen a Hyuga mother around – but he didn't expect such a touching story. He was about to offer Hinata condolences, but she continued. "The funnies thing about it was that exactly a week after she died, it was revealed that the two characters _were_ long-lost siblings. I wish she could at least have known she was right before she…" Hinata trailed off, wiping her moist eyes with the sleeves of her jacket. "I'm sorry. I'm being all emotional."

"No, it's fine," Suigetsu assured her. "I did this to get to know you, and I think we're getting there. I definitely know you a lot better than I did before today." A silence fell over the table until the waiter arrived to take their orders. After giving them to him, Suigetsu resumed conversation. "So when am I going to get to read one of your poems?"

"Th-They're kind of personal," she admitted. Wasn't it ridiculous that this was the man she would spend the rest of her life with, but she couldn't even share a poem with him?

Neji had been acting differently about the Suigetsu situation the last few days. He had been very anti-Suigetsu when Hiashi had first told them of the plan. He called Suigetsu a rapist, which, in the technical sense, was true. He took advantage of her when she didn't have the capacity to say 'no.' Hinata had been very angry at first, and the first time she had to talk to Suigetsu afterwards had been incredibly awkward.

But she knew him. He was a friend. He wasn't a bad guy, even if he did a bad thing. And the more she got to know him during this engagement, the more she realized that he was truly remorseful. They'd had a brief conversation about wedding plans, when he flat-out told her that she should plan her dream wedding and not worry about Suigetsu's opinion on everything. And even though he wasn't entirely excited about the way he was coerced into the marriage, no one could say he wasn't stepping up.

He'd already signed up for a bunch of business courses for the next semester, which would serve him well in his future with Hyuga Corp. He made sure to designate a part of his family's house for Hinata and a nursery for the baby (he did not want to move in with Hiashi). Not only had he put a part of the relatively small allowance Hiashi had promised him for a trust fund for the baby, but he had stayed true to his promise to never cheat, as far as Hinata knew. He might have made all the wrong decisions, but he was trying. And he was slowly making it right.

"Do you want to be a poet?" Suigetsu asked her. She shook her head.

"My poetry is personal," she repeated. "I only write it for me."

"What do you want to do, then?" he asked.

"I-I want to be a literature professor," she told him. "I hope to work at the university after I graduate." Suigetsu quirked his eyebrows. He didn't know Hinata would want to do that. Then again, it still fit in with the cultured image he had of her. Of course she'd want to be a literature professor. "W-What about you? What did you want to do before…"

Before my father forced you to become a businessman. The rest of the question was left unfinished.

"I was hoping to be a marine biologist," Suigetsu told Hinata. "Since I was a kid, I've been interested in fish and other sea animals. I guess I could find a way to do that in Hyuga Corp., provided your father allows me high up enough to work on some environmental projects." Hinata almost snorted. As if her father cared about animals or the environment. It wasn't like he purposefully polluted water or endangered species, he just couldn't care less about the natural world. The only things that mattered to him were business and family. And even that last one was slightly questionable with the way he'd treated Hinata and Neji lately.

"I'm glad you decided to do this, Suigetsu," Hinata confided. "You're right; I know you a lot better than I did before."

* * *

Naruto didn't want to intrude, but Sasuke had asked him to be with him when this happened – if this happened. It was all still too real to believe. Uchiha Mikoto was alive. She had almost died again, but the doctors brought her back. And she was awake! The first time she woke up, the doctors sedated her. They needed her to get adjusted to being awake. She would wake up twice more in the presence of doctors before they allowed the Uchihas to see her.

"K-Kashi," Mikoto wheezed. Her throat was obviously dry – not having a single glass of water in twelve years could do that to a person, Naruto assumed – so the doctor brought some water for her. She gulped down the liquid greedily before looking at the faces above her.

"I need you to stay calm, Mikoto," Kakashi said soothingly. "No matter what I say, you can't freak out, alright?" She nodded, not really understanding what was going on. She hadn't yet focused in on the three younger males present. "You're in the hospital," he began with. The easiest statement to make. "There's been an accident." That was slightly harder, but he knew the third would be the one that could ruin her. "The year is 2012."

Mikoto's eyes widened, and they suddenly moved away from Kakashi, latching onto her two sons and the mysterious blond boy at the bed. "I-Itachi," she gasped, nearly bursting into tears. She slowly reached up and pulled Itachi down to hug him, embracing her son for the first time in years. She looked over at Sasuke and gave him the same treatment, holding on a little bit tighter. Finally, she looked down at Naruto with a curious expression. "I-Is this…"

Naruto looked at Sasuke from the corner of his eye. Sasuke and Itachi shared a look that was then shared between Kakashi and Itachi. Mikoto looked up at all of them. "Is this O-Obito?" she asked. Kakashi shook his head slowly.

"Don't you remember?" he asked. "Obito died with Rin. Months before your accident."

"Not Madara's Obito," Mikoto insisted. "_My_ Obito." Her hand drifted to her stomach. "Where's my baby?"

"Mom," Sasuke said, his eyes brimming with tears. He lowered himself down to hug her, placing his mouth near her ears. "Th-The baby…he didn't survive." The cry caught in her throat. Was this possible? Was it a cruel joke?

She knew that something was wrong when she woke up in the hospital, surrounded by doctors. The second time she woke up, the doctor explained that she was in a fragile state, but would see her family soon. But this wasn't all that was left of her family.

"F-Fugaku," she gasped out. "Go get Fugaku. He'll tell you – Obito can't be dead. He can't. He was totally healthy! MY BABY'S NOT DEAD!" Sasuke held on tighter, but Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder, and Naruto laced his fingers within the raven's own. Together, they managed to get Sasuke to remove himself from his mother. "GET ME FUGAKU!" she screamed, starting to fidget in her bed. "He'll tell you all! We saw his heartbeat! I felt him inside me!" She started crying.

This couldn't be. It just couldn't be. What kind of cruel god would do this to her? Bring her back to her family, just to take away the purest member from her. She would never meet her youngest son. She would never hold him in her arms. It had only been a few months, but she loved the baby as much as she loved her other children. He couldn't be dead!

But she knew it was true. She could feel it. A part of her was empty. She bawled and bawled as the realization sunk in. It was 2012. She'd been in the accident over twelve years ago. She remembered excitedly talking to Fugaku as they got into the car with the sonogram picture. They were talking about their plans for the big New Year's Party. It was the New Millennium – and era of new beginnings! Instead, all it brought was death and destruction.

The baby died. She was supposed to protect her baby, and yet he died. She had failed him, just as she had failed Sasuke and Itachi by being absent from their lives for so long. Her baby was dead, and her little boy was now a man grown. Her big boy was almost done with college! She had missed the most important years of their lives.

Twelve years. The baby would be starting puberty soon. Obito would have already started becoming a man before she ever woke up. But it was a fragile hope. The baby hadn't survived the accident. The accident killed her baby. She stopped sobbing suddenly as the realization hit her. She looked at Kakashi with a fragile sadness in her eyes.

"Fugaku?" she asked. The way he lowered his eyes was enough. The doctors could hear the wail down the hallway.

* * *

Throughout the next few days, Mikoto was brought up-to-date about her situation. She was depressed after learning of Fugaku and the baby – Obito, apparently – dying in the car crash. She was enraged at Madara for hiding her and her family away and robbing them of their precious time with their surviving sons. With all this going on, Sasuke didn't even tell her that Naruto was his boyfriend.

It was a concern he had, even if it was small. He knew his mother wouldn't reject him for his sexual orientation, but he didn't feel like piling the dramas on top of her at the moment. Naruto understood. He always understood. He was, in many ways, the perfect boyfriend. He understood Sasuke's need to stay semi-closeted while Mikoto adjusted.

She was doing better than Sasuke had expected, to be honest. He didn't think she'd be able to accept a lot of the changes in life so easily. She was able to accept Fugaku's death, and even baby Obito's. She could accept that Madara had killed himself, and she liked knowing that Sasuke and Itachi were successful thus far. They made sure not to tell her about Sasuke's alcoholism.

Her physical progress was almost as good. Her body had been kept in pretty good shape by Hashirama. There were no physical injuries to speak of at all, to tell the truth. The day after she woke up, the doctors began working on helping her regain strength in her body. Sasuke or Itachi or Kakashi would take walks with her three times a day. By the end of the third day, she was able to walk without leaning on anyone. She could also move her arms independently. Her shoulders were almost fully-functional, and her other joints were almost all healed as well.

She was well enough that they would be able to return to Konoha in time for the New Year's, provided Mikoto got some nice rest when she got home and they made an appointment with a specialist, as well as a therapist. And wouldn't you know, Sasuke and Naruto knew just the therapist to bring her to.

**Remember to Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	35. The New Normal

**Disclaimer: I own Naruto. Oh, and did I also tell you all that I'm a professional Sarcastaball player? World champ, actually…**

**This chapter was betaed by **Merciless Angels Never Cry**.**

Chapter Thirty-Five: The New Normal

Ino tapped her foot impatiently, waiting to see people start to pour from the hangar. The plane had been just sitting there for, like ten minutes already. She wasn't even the only one getting impatient. She knew her father was waiting just as anxiously as she was, and Jiraya had been complaining for the last half hour they'd been there. Only Tsunade seemed to be fine with all the waiting, and that was probably because she had a nice buzz going on by now.

They hadn't seen Naruto in almost a week, and they'd only heard from him once. Inoichi was starting to consider going to the police to treat Naruto as a missing person when Naruto decided to call for Christmas. And after that very short, very vague phone call, when Naruto promised to be home 'soon,' Inoichi was even _more_ worried. With every day that passed since Christmas, he would wonder if today was the day when Naruto would be home.

They finally got the call that morning. Ino was the one who answered it, and she remained much more calm this time than she had when Naruto had called to wish them a Merry Christmas. She was happy, at least, that he'd be home for the New Year, even if he did miss Christmas. She wondered where they had gone after Suigetsu's party. What did they do? Why did they insist on staying away? They couldn't have been that upset about their relationship going public that they'd miss Christmas, right? Something else had to be going on.

Suddenly, people starting to exit the hangar and walk past them, towards the baggage claim. A few older people, a young person every now and then. No sight of Naruto. In fact, the blond was one of the last people off the plane. It was as if he wanted to make them all sweat just those extra few seconds. Ino ran to him when he got in sight and pulled him into a hug. She didn't realize how much she missed him until he called. It was weird not having him around. Ever since they were kids, they were always around each other. Not a day had gone by in years that they didn't talk or hang out, or see each other.

After pulling him into a bone-crushing hug, Ino released him and gave him a shove. It wasn't hard enough to hurt him, but it was enough to get her point across.

"I swear to god, Naruto, if you _ever_ do that again, I will kill you," she threatened, as Naruto straightened back up. He rubbed the back of his neck in that endearing, sheepish fashion, and Ino rolled her eyes. He'd talk his way out of it – he always did.

"Sorry about that," he said as Inoichi, Jiraya, and Tsunade approached them. He spoke to the whole group collectively. "We weren't supposed to be gone so long, but things came up."

"Yeah, things came up," Ino muttered. "If by 'things' you mean 'Sasuke's penis.'"

"Hey," Inoichi scolded her. "Watch your mouth." Naruto glared at her with a pout on his face. She scoffed and rolled her eyes again.

"Let's go get something to drink," Tsunade said happily. "We need to celebrate Naruto coming home."

"You need another drink like I need a third nipple," Jiraya told her. "Why don't we just go for lunch?" Naruto was up for eating – he hadn't had anything to eat since that morning at the hospital cafeteria with Sasuke and Kakashi, when the latter suggested that Naruto head home. He wasn't so gung-ho about leaving Sasuke up in New York, but Kakashi insisted he'd be fine. Besides, Naruto had to get back to his family before they started a nation-wide man-hunt.

They ate their late lunch in the airport's café. As Naruto began to eat his sandwich, it was Ino who decided to ask the question on everyone's mind. "So where's lover boy?"

"He's still in New York with Kakashi and Itachi," Naruto told her, and he received a questioning look.

"Kakashi and Itachi were in New York with you guys?" Tsunade asked, a slight slur in her voice. "That sounds like a very boring orgy."

"What were you doing together?" Inoichi asked, deciding to ignore Tsunade's drunken banter.

"Well, they only showed up on Christmas," Naruto explained. "There was…uh…a situation, and they needed to come up to see something."

"What kind of a situation?" Jiraya asked. '_How do I say this?'_ Naruto wondered. He figured that Sasuke wouldn't mind him telling people; it's not like it would be a secret for long. But how exactly do you just tell people that a dead person isn't dead?

"Well, uh, it started when we found this old associate of Madara's," Naruto explained, deciding to tell the story before he made the announcement. "He and Madara were apparently working on some sort of experimental drug for the last few years, experimenting illegally on humans." The look of horror on the faces of his makeshift family would have been humorous if it wasn't so sad. "Specifically, on Sasuke's parents."

"Sasuke's…" Inoichi repeated, as if he didn't think he heard right.

"But they're dead," Ino said. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, after they, uh, got into the car explosion," Naruto began, "Madara somehow whisked them away to a medical facility in New York where they began administering the drugs. Sasuke's father and his unborn sibling both died during treatment, but his mother…" He could see that everyone, even Tsunade, was hanging on his every word. "His mother is alive." It was almost funny how shocked each of them looked. "She was still in a coma, but when the drug was removed from her system, she woke up."

"Sasuke's mom is alive?" Ino asked, as if she didn't believe the story. "Y-You're sure?" Naruto nodded.

"We saw her," said. "He spoke to her. That's why Itachi and Kakashi are up there. They sent me down before them since there really wasn't much of a place for me up there. I needed to come home and see you guys again."

The story was a hard one to believe, but it seemed that they did believe it. Naruto wondered when his life had become so complicated. He guessed it started when Sasuke decided to blackmail him into pretending to be his boyfriend, almost a year ago. It was almost funny how much had changed since then. They were no longer pretending, and Naruto felt he was ready to do something that he definitely wasn't ready to do back then. All he needed to do was wait for the right time.

After they were done with lunch, Inoichi took Ino and Tsunade to go get the car, allowing Jiraya to go with Naruto to pick up his bags from baggage claim. The bags had been set aside after the conveyor belt ran through the cargo, so it was easy for Naruto to find them. He took his one suitcase, while Jiraya took his carry-on.

"I can get it myself, you know," Naruto had told him.

"Yeah, but you don't _have_ to," Jiraya said with a grin. The two began to roll the luggage through the airport, heading towards the parking lot where the others were waiting. They walked in silence for a few seconds, but Naruto was quick to break it.

"You knew my mother, right?" Naruto asked. "That's why you and Tsunade are my godparents."

"Yes, I knew Kushina," Jiraya confirmed. "She was one of the nicest people I've had the pleasure of meeting. And even though she made her fair share of mistakes, never doubt that she loved you."

"I don't," Naruto assured him. "I've never really heard much of my mother," he admitted. "Only what you've told me, and Kyuubi made sure that was a pretty limited amount of stuff. He told me she was a hooker, and that she cheated on him constantly when they were married." Jiraya stopped in place, and Naruto stopped as well. He looked over at the older man, and saw his face contorted in rage.

"Kushina was never a hooker," Jiraya assured him angrily. "The nerve of that –"

"I didn't believe him," Naruto assured Jiraya, although that was a lie. He'd never met his mother, or he never remembered her; he didn't know which. When Kyuubi told him things about her, Naruto just took it for fact. Uzumaki Kushina was a whore who seduced him, got pregnant, forced him to marry her, cheated on him, and was killed by one of her johns. It wasn't like he had any evidence to the contrary. Kyuubi told Naruto that he was forbidden from asking Tsunade or Jiraya about her, and Naruto obeyed. The few things he knew were that she loved him, and that she had once married his father. After Kyuubi's death, it never really seemed important to ask more questions.

"Your mother was a bartender and a waitress," Jiraya told the blond. "She was just a bartender at first, but after your father got her pregnant, she had to take on a second job." Naruto wondered why Kyuubi would lie to him, but then remembered what a monster his father was. Did he really need a reason to lie to him? "She and your f– Kyuubi, " he corrected himself. Jiraya hated referring to Kyuubi as Naruto's father, especially after the rape. "They were married as soon as they learned she was pregnant. I told her not to – Tsunade and I both did. Even Orochimaru told her that Kyuubi was bad news.

"I owned the bar she worked at, so she knew us all pretty well," Jiraya explained. "When she started showing up with bruises, we knew what was going on. We knew what Kyuubi was. But Kushina always insisted she was just clumsy. Clumsy, my ass," he muttered. "One day she was beaten really badly, and she fainted at work. Tsunade and I took her to the hospital, and the doctor said that she'd almost lost you." He stared off into space, as if he was looking somewhere else.

"What happened next?" Naruto asked, waiting for the conclusion to the story. It didn't surprise him that Kyuubi was abusive to his mother. And it might explain why he decided to tell Naruto she was a whore. Jiraya just shook his head.

"It's a long story," Jiraya told him. "The others are all waiting for us. I promise, though, I'll tell you the rest another time. About everything." Naruto nodded. It was the best he could hope for. Suddenly, he had the urge to know about his mother. Maybe it was all the drama with Sasuke's mother that made him so concerned with his mom all of a sudden. But Jiraya was right; now was not the time to get into it.

* * *

"How are you feeling, Mikoto?" the doctor asked her. If all went well, this would be her final check-up here. She would, of course, have to see a doctor in Konoha regularly to make sure that the drugs haven't had any long-term effects, but if the test results today came back fine, Mikoto would be able to go home.

Home. Konoha. With her sons.

Finding out she has lost her husband and son had come as a shock. That was putting it lightly. Mikoto was distraught over it; she still was. But Kakashi had spoken to her the other day, and she realized what this meant. She had a second chance with her children. She could have lost them to, but instead, she was here with them. Although she wasn't happy about the situation she found herself in, she decided that it was a bit of a blessing to have this chance with Itachi and Sasuke. She would mourn for Obito and Fugaku, but she would live for Itachi and Sasuke.

"I'm better," Mikoto told the doctor. "Some of my memory from that day is coming back. I'm starting to feel stronger. I can almost walk without the cane now."

"You've made remarkable progress," the doctor agreed. "I think we're just going to have to take a few tests, and if they show that you're good to go, then we can get the paperwork started to release you."

"Thank you, doctor," Mikoto said with a smile. A nurse came in with a needle and began to work on finding a vein to extract blood from. Later, she knew, she would have a CT scan so that they could see how the rest of her body was faring. Other than that, there should be no more tests.

The nurse found a vein and tied a rubber strip around her arm to make the vein pop out. She carefully stuck the needle into the vein and began collecting blood. As the blood started to pour into the repository, the nurse untied the strip, and allowed the blood to fill. It filled three containers before the nurse decided she'd taken enough and pulled out the needle. She placed a cloth bandage over the small hole, and told Mikoto to press down to stop the bleeding.

When she left, Sasuke decided to come in and visit her. He was the one who visited the most. He was almost always in the room with her, and she had seen enough to know that her younger son wasn't doing as well as everyone insisted.

"Hey mom," Sasuke said, sitting down in the chair next to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'll be better once I can sleep in my own bed," Mikoto said with a laugh. "I can't wait to get out of this bed!"

"We're leaving tonight," Sasuke told her. "Itachi already has the plane ready to go, so you better pass all these tests they're doing." She smiled at Sasuke's attempt at a joke. She wondered when her son became a man. What sort of things did he go through in the eleven years she wasn't there for? What forced her son to grow so fast? Was it the accident that she, Fugaku, and Obito were in? Was it something else after that?

"So how did you find me?" Mikoto asked. For some reason, she had never asked the question. It wasn't really all that important before. But now, she had a need to know.

"It was, uh, Madara," Sasuke admitted. "He killed himself a while ago, and I was really messed up because of it. But he left me the key to a safety deposit box in his will. I didn't want to look at it for a while, but I had a panic attack thinking about it, so I got the box and opened it." He paused, waiting to see Mikoto's reaction to his admission. She looked concerned, but didn't interrupt him, so he continued. "Inside was a bunch of stuff, like your video to me and Itachi before you died. It's how we knew you were pregnant. There was a key card, like the thing you use to get into hotel rooms, that had the words 'Sharingan Project' on it, and another piece of paper that said 'The Sharingan Project.' On the other side of the paper was the name 'Dr. Senju Hashirama.'"

"He was the doctor –" Mikoto began.

"–who looked after you," Sasuke finished the sentence. He nodded, and she silently urged him to go on. "Naruto and I looked him up online and saw that he worked at a hospital in New York, and that he graduated from the same school as Uncle Madara. Last week, Naruto and I came up here to investigate," he said, skimming over details of his relationship with Naruto. He still hadn't told her she was gay, let alone had a boyfriend. "We saw Hashirama, and he lied to us about everything, saying he had no idea about anything. When he left his office, Naruto and I decided to break in and snoop. We found records of you, father, and the baby. We didn't know it was you at the time, though; you were referred to as Patients X, Y, and Z.

"We also saw a key card with the Sharingan Project logo, just like the one Madara left me," he continued. "So we kept trying to follow him. We knew he'd go to wherever the key gave access to eventually, and he did. It was this compound in Brooklyn. We snuck in and snooped around. The guy who ran the place, a mob guy named Tobi, was pissed that we snuck in and sent some thugs after us. We kept running, and eventually locked ourselves in your hospital room, not knowing you were in there."

Mikoto looked horrified. She hadn't realized how dangerous this was for them. Following a mob doctor, getting chased by mob enforcers. They could have very well lost their lives! "Then what?" she asked, not sure if she even wanted to know.

"When we saw you there, we knew you were alive because of the machines," Sasuke explained. "We yelled through the door that unless Hashirama came in and answered questions, we'd call the police. He told us all about how he was working on an experimental treatment for spinal cord damage, and after the accident, Madara begged him to use the treatment on you guys. Father and Obito died in the process, but you survived. I called Itachi and Kakashi to come up, and Tobi's guys cleared out. The only one who stayed was Hashirama, and he was arrested."

He was surprised when Mikoto reached out to hug him, but he quickly returned the hug. So this was what it was like to hug his mother. He'd forgotten, but he wasn't in too much of a rush to let go now. There was a part of him that was afraid that she would disappear if he left her for too long. The first few hours, he was pretty sure he was dreaming. Now, a part of him was still convinced that this wasn't real, but he decided not to fight it. It felt so good to have his mom back again.

"I love you," Mikoto said during the hug.

"I love you too," Sasuke said, his voice breaking as he almost started crying again.

"So tell me about your friends," Mikoto urged when she let go. "Tell me about Naruto. You said he is your roommate, right?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said with a smile on his face. "Naruto's so great. I don't think I couldn't have gone through this without him." He didn't really want to get too into Naruto right now, though. He still wasn't sure what he wanted to tell his mother about his sexuality. "I have other friends, too. Gaara is probably my best friend. He's not very outgoing, but he's loyal to a fault, and he always makes sense. He's, like, the best person to go to for advice." Mikoto nodded, a smile forming as her son talked about his life.

"There's Sakura, who's a little annoying sometimes," Sasuke continued. "She's also really, really loyal, and she makes sure I have fun. Then there's this other guy, Suigetsu, who's probably the most irresponsible person I've ever met. But he's a good guy." He almost mentioned Neji and Hinata, but he wasn't sure about them. Were they still his friends after all this?

"So Sakura," Mikoto said with a smile. "Is she your girlfriend?"

"No!" Sasuke exclaimed, horrified. Leave it to his mom to bring the subject up. The thought of being Sakura's girlfriend was a mixture between hilarious and nauseating, but Sasuke wanted to avoid the subject entirely.

"Anyone else snatch you up?" Mikoto asked with a smile. "You're such a handsome young man, I can't imagine you're single." Well, this was awkward. Sasuke never really had the experience of awkward talks with his mother, but now he could sympathize.

Now he had two options. He could either say he was single, and then when his mom found out about Naruto, she would be doubly hurt, or he could bit the bullet and come out to her now. He wasn't sure which one he wanted to do. It seemed Mikoto made the decision for him.

"You _do_ have a girlfriend," Mikoto said at Sasuke's silence. "Tell me all about her. Are you two serious? Is she pretty? What's her name."

"I don't have a girlfriend," Sasuke assured her. "I…uh…" _'Come on, you coward! Just tell her! It's not like she's going to disown you for this. She's too happy to have you back.'_ The words caught in his throat, though. It was hard to say something like this to someone who he loved so much. Even if the possibility of rejection or anger was astronomically low, even the smallest chance was enough to make it immensely hard for him. "I have a…" _'SAY IT!'_ "…a boyfriend."

He braced himself for it. He could see the shock on her face, despite her attempt to hide it. There was no way this was going to end up well. He should have never told her. What the hell came over him? What made him think that this would be okay? He was on the brink of tears now.

"What's this lucky young man's name?" Mikoto asked. Now it was Sasuke's turn to be shocked. He was so sure that she was going to be upset at him.

"Y-You mean you don't care?" Sasuke asked, his insecurity making one of its very rare appearances. Mikoto almost laughed.

"Of course not," she assured him. "If you're happy, then I'm happy. Now, what's this boy's name? Tell me all about him." Sasuke felt wetness on his cheeks, and realized that he was crying from relief. He laughed at his ridiculousness and then smiled.

"It's Naruto," he told her, and he saw a look of understanding on her face. "He's the best, mom. Really. I can't imagine my life without him."

"I'm glad you like him so much," Mikoto said. She suddenly turned serious. "You are using protection, aren't you?" Sasuke's cheeks flared red as he realized her implication.

"God, mom," he said, trying to contain his embarrassment to no avail.

"I'm just asking!" she defended.

"We're not even _there_ yet," Sasuke said, not looking anywhere near his mom. Why did she have to bring up the topic of sex? Couldn't she be like every other parent and just not ask about his sex life? This was so embarrassing.

"Right," Mikoto said with a sarcastic tone of voice that told Sasuke she didn't believe him. He couldn't blame her. Any other eighteen year old would have already had sex with his boyfriend. He couldn't exactly tell her about the extenuating circumstances of their relationship, however.

Luckily, he didn't have to. At that moment, a lab technician came in to wheel Mikoto to the CT scan room. When she came back, Itachi and Kakashi were there, so she didn't go back to talking about Sasuke's sex life. A few hours later, the doctor came in and told them the good news: Mikoto was free to go.

* * *

Naruto knocked on the door to the Hyuga mansion three times, and was unsurprised that the butler answered. He'd never really met him before, despite his relationship with Hinata. He usually went to find her in her dorm room, and rarely made appearances at the mansion. Hyuga Hiashi scared him too much.

"Is Hinata home?" Naruto asked the man, who nodded in response.

"Miss Hinata is upstairs with Miss Ino, Miss Sakura, and Miss Tenten discussing wedding plans," the butler said in a very formal tone.

"Can I go up and see her?" Naruto asked. The butler moved out of the way of the door and allowed Naruto to enter. He walked up the stairs in the entrance foyer and made down the hallway towards the sound of excited talking.

"…to the song 'Marry You' by Bruno Mars," he heard Sakura's excited voice say.

"Please, that is _so_ 2011," Ino said with a roll of her eyes that Naruto couldn't see from the hallway, but knew that she was doing. "No, I have a better idea. Have you guys seen the video of that Korean rapper dancing?"

"Oh, that!" Tenten exclaimed. "I saw him on Ellen!"

"Wasn't he at the VMAs?" Hinata asked.

"That's him!" Ino said. Naruto now stood at the doorway, looking at the four girls, but none of them saw him yet. "His name is PSY and his song is hot right now. We should do that. The dance is easy to learn, and it's entertaining." Naruto hated to interrupt the girls' discussion (see: sarcasm), but he knocked on the open door to the room to announce his presence.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, running up to hug him. He hugged her back, and when he let go, Tenten was there to give him a small hug. He didn't really talk to her much since she went off to school, so seeing her was nice.

"Sorry to interrupt," Naruto lied, "but I was hoping I could talk to Hinata for a few minutes. Alone," he clarified. Sakura and Ino both had knowing looks in their eyes, but Tenten looked a little confused. It seemed the gossip hadn't quite spread as far as Naruto had expected. The three cleared out, though, and Naruto entered the room, closing the door behind us. "We need to talk."

Hinata nodded, not looking him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Naruto said. "I mean it. Sasuke and I shouldn't have gone behind your back and lied to you, and I shouldn't have gone out with you when there was a part of me, deep, deep down, that had feelings for him. We – I – should have told you the truth when we broke up. Instead, I drove you to get drunk and sleep with Suigetsu, and I lied to you for months. I am really, really sorry."

"I accept your apology," Hinata said in a quiet voice. "I just don't understand why you didn't tell me the truth, or why you decided to run away instead of talking to me last week."

"Sasuke and I decided not to tell anyone because we didn't want you or Neji to be mad at him," Naruto confided. "I guess it was kind of unavoidable, but we figured that Neji would be so mad if he knew that I broke up with you for him, and you would be very upset as well. We just wanted to spare your feelings. Instead, we still ended up hurting your feelings, and we lost your trust as an end result.

"As for leaving after the party," Naruto continued, "Sasuke and I were already planning on leaving the next day for a vacation in New York. He had…business…he needed to attend to. After the incident at the party, we decided to just go sooner. We had expected to be back by Christmas, but there were…complications."

Hinata nodded in understanding, but Naruto knew she was still feeling bad. He walked over to where she was sitting, on a purple bean bag chair, and knelt down.

"I'm sorry about the way things ended," Naruto said softly. "I didn't realize that I had feelings for Sasuke, I promise. I thought I was in love with you. When I realized that I was gay, that I had feelings for him, I wasted no time in breaking up with you. I didn't want to string you along any further than you already had been. It was unfair to you and to Sasuke.

"Lying to you about it might have been the most selfish thing I did," he continued. "I never meant to hurt you, but that's all I did this entire time. I'm incredibly sorry, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

"I forgive you," Hinata assured him. "But I don't think I can forget it. Not yet."

"Your forgiveness is all I ask," Naruto said with a smile, standing up. "Now I think I have to go find Neji and get _that_ over with. But before I go, I just have one question for you." Hinata looked up at him with a questioning gaze. "I heard about your engagement to Suigetsu. Do you _want_ to marry him?"

He saw her lower lip tremble seconds before she started crying. He knelt, concerned, and pulled her into a hug. She sobbed onto his shoulder, and he assumed he had his answer.

"You're the first person to ask me that," Hinata told him. "The girls just told me how excited they were, and told me that I would get used to the idea. Father doesn't care whether I want this or not. Suigetsu has been focusing on himself through this, and even Neji is just angry all the time.

"I don't want to marry him," she said, saying those words for the first time. "I mean, he's a nice guy, I guess, but I don't love him. He doesn't love me, and I'm not even sure that he loves this baby." She placed her hand on her stomach even though she wasn't showing yet. "Neither of us are ready for marriage, but my father won't listen. If I don't marry him, then he'll kick me out and disown me."

"Don't worry about that," Naruto assured her. "If he kicks you out, Sasuke will let you stay in the mansion. Neji will be there for you, and so will Sakura, Ino, and Tenten. And me. If you really don't want to marry Suigetsu, don't let your father force you into it."

"And then there's Suigetsu," Hinata continued. "If he doesn't marry me, he and his brother lose their home. They lose all their money. They both have to drop out of college. If I don't go through with it, I ruin their lives."

"That's no reason to be unhappy the rest of your life," Naruto assured her. "Suigetsu will be fine. He has good friends and his brother. It might be hard for him, but that's no reason to subject yourself to unhappiness." Hinata nodded and Naruto stood up. "I'm going to find Neji now. Think about what I said." She nodded again and Naruto left the room.

It didn't take him long to find Neji. Naruto assumed that one of the girls told him that Naruto was there, because Neji was storming up the stairs, the girls following him worriedly.

"Neji, don't!" Sakura yelled. Neji slammed Naruto into the wall, the paintings on the wall almost falling off from the intensity of the slam. He raised his fist as if to hit Naruto, and the blond cringed. Neji hesitated for a moment, long enough for Ino to shove him away from Naruto roughly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ino shouted at him.

"I was just about to ask him the same thing!" Neji yelled back. He turned to Naruto. "What gives you the right to come here after what you did and talk to her?"

"I wanted to apologize," Naruto said frantically, hoping to calm Neji down. "I told Hinata that I was sorry."

"You're _sorry,_" Neji said in a mocking tone of voice. "If you were really sorry, you would have admitted what you'd done in front of everybody instead of running away like a pussy!"

"Neji!" came Hinata's voice from down the hallway. He turned to see her, noticed her angry expression.

"Did he upset you?" Neji asked. He turned to Naruto and the blond could see a vein popping in his forehead. "What did you say to upset her!?" he demanded.

"It's not him," Hinata insisted, walking closer. "It's you! Why are you doing this? Why are you being so mean, so angry?"

"You're siding with him over me after what he did to you?" Neji asked her. Suddenly, Naruto felt like he wasn't the center of things anymore. In fact, he seemed to feel weird watching Neji and Hinata's interaction, which would probably be best done in private. He looked over at Ino, and knew she felt the same.

"I forgave him," Hinata said, standing up the Neji. "Nobody's perfect, Neji. We both know that. He made mistakes, and apologized. You don't have the right to yell at him and abuse him just because you're frustrated with the situation." She paused and shook her head. "Sometimes you're as bad as my father."

Naruto, Ino, Sakura, and Tenten all snuck away from the two cousins, knowing that they shouldn't intrude on such a moment. The girls stayed behind at the mansion to help Hinata with her wedding plans after she was done with Neji, but Naruto left. He had one more person he had to see.

* * *

"He abused her," Jiraya told him as they sat in Jiraya's house. Tsunade was there too, and Orochimaru was upstairs. The three siblings were roommates, living in a house near the middle of the city. Jiraya and Tsunade were always more than happy to have Naruto over, but he didn't go too often. Their brother Orochimaru creeped him out too much.

"Why didn't you do anything about it?" Naruto asked them. He wasn't so much angry as he was…disappointed.

"We wanted to," Tsunade assured him. "But anytime we asked Kushina, she would cover for him. They had been dating since high school, and she was in love with him. I can't speak as to who he was back then, but by the time we knew them, Kyuubi was…"

"…a monster," Jiraya finished. "But you already know that, Naruto." How could he not? "After Kyuubi's beating nearly cost her you, she moved out. She stayed with a friend of hers, Minato. Of course, this pissed off Kyuubi more than you could imagine." He went quiet, but Naruto needed to know more.

"Then what happened?" he asked.

"She moved back in with him," Tsunade answered with a glare on her face. She was staring into space, not at Naruto. "Things got better for a bit, but when you were born…" she trailed off. Jiraya decided to pick up the story.

"He was angry," Jiraya told Naruto. "_Really_ angry. He hit her some more, so she took you and left. She moved in with Minato and got a restraining order against Kyuubi. The judge granted her a divorce, and she got sole custody after telling the court about his abuse. Kyuubi was lucky he wasn't arrested."

He stopped, as if that was the end of the story. But Naruto knew it wasn't. Somehow, Kushina died and Kyuubi got custody of him. He needed to know the rest of the story, but he could tell Tsunade and Jiraya were having a hard time telling it. They loved Kushina too much to talk about it.

"What happened next?" Naruto asked, the need to know overpowering him. He had a vague idea of what the conclusion to the story was from the way they talked about it, but he needed to be 100% sure.

The answer came from behind him, from a whispery voice that sent shivers down his spine.

"Kyuubi killed them both," Orochimaru said from the doorway to the kitchen. All three people sitting at the table were surprised to see that Orochimaru had come downstairs. They hadn't heard him. "Of course, it wasn't proven. The cases went cold, and Kyuubi got custody of you as your father. That's not the happy ending you were looking for, is it?" Naruto looked to Jiraya and Tsunade, and he knew from their reactions that Orochimaru was telling the truth. "No, that happy ending happened when your boyfriend put that son of a bitch out of everyone else's misery."

Naruto was surprised to see Orochimaru talking with such passion. He usually didn't show much emotion, but Naruto could tell that talking about Kushina got him emotional. He never really liked the man, but learning that he had advised Kushina against marrying Kyuubi allowed Naruto to see him in a slightly different light. It was weird, knowing that his mother actually spoke to Orochimaru and wasn't creeped out by him.

"When Kyuubi moved you guys away from Uzushio, it was hard for us to find you," Orochimaru told the blond. "But they knew that they had to be around to look after you," he said, indicating Jiraya and Tsunade. "And I came along for the ride. Kyuubi didn't let them near you too much, but as you got older, they got more insistent. We weren't able to stop him from abusing you, though, no more than we were able to stop him from killing Minato and Kushina." He opened a beer that was sitting on the counter and started to chug it as the others looked on. "I'm out of here," he said when the can was empty, crushing it with his hands and throwing it into the garbage can on the other side of the room. He walked away, and Naruto turned to Tsunade and Jiraya.

"What was that about?" Naruto asked them. Why was Orochimaru so emotional when it came to talking about that?

"Orochimaru was your mother's high school teacher," Jiraya told Naruto. Naruto seemed shocked, and started to wonder how he never knew this stuff before. "After she graduated, the two kept in touch. That's how she got a job at my bar when she was looking for a job. And even though Orochimaru doesn't like to talk about it, it's pretty obvious he had feelings for her." Naruto wasn't sure whether to be grossed out at the thought of Orochimaru and his mother together, or whether to feel sad for the man, who seemed so pathetic now. He settled on both.

"Orochimaru was the one who convinced Kyuubi to let us see you," Tsunade informed the blond.

"He probably threatened to do something illegal, but neither of us were complaining," Jiraya said with a shrug. "If he didn't help us get closer to you, who knows what Kyuubi would have done to you."

Naruto was pretty shocked. He had so much to let sink in. Orochimaru had feelings for his mother. He was her teacher. He, Jiraya, and Tsunade knew his mother, and tried to get her to break up with his father. His father killed his mother. Orochimaru helped Jiraya and Tsunade find him. He helped them see him. They were able to protect him a little more. It was all so much to handle.

"Orochimaru said something about Uzushio," Naruto commented. Jiraya nodded.

"That's where we all lived before you were born," he told the blond. "Me, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Minato, Kushina, Kyuubi. I think Kushina's father still lives there, your grandfather, Mito."

"I have a grandfather?" Naruto asked. This was a day chock-full of surprises for him.

"Kyuubi never told him," Tsunade realized, sounding angry. "Yes, Naruto, you do have a grandfather. Uzumaki Mito. We haven't heard from him in a while, though. Not since Kyuubi died."

"I want to see him," Naruto said suddenly. "I want to know more about where I come from."

"I'll get you his address," Jiraya assured him. "Whenever you have time, you can go visit him. Uzushio isn't that far; only about two hours by car. It's a suburb of Kiri." He got up and looked through his cabinets for something, and then finally pulled out an envelope. "The last piece of mail we got from him, about a year and a half ago," he said. He copied the return address and gave Naruto a piece of paper.

_110 Spiral Lane, Uzushio_ the paper read. Naruto nodded and put it in his pocked. He'd have to find time to take a road trip.

**I have to plug my two new PWP yaoi stories: **Naked Wrestling**, a rewrite of my NaruSasu one-shot that will include multiple chapters, and **Konoha High Trysts**, a collection of one-shots involved in Konoha High School; there are four chapters up on KHT - a GaaLee, a KakaIru, and two SasuNaru chapters. It will be updated with the final chapter - a ShikaKiba - on Saturday 11/24/12.**

**Remember to Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	36. New Year's Eve

**Disclaimer: Do I own Naruto? Not yet.**

**This chapter was betaed by **Merciless Angels Never Cry**.**

Chapter Thirty-Six: New Year's Eve

Sasuke threw open the door to the mansion and led the group in, carrying two of his suitcases. Kakashi followed with his carry-on, while Itachi was helping Mikoto climb the stairs to the door. The house was very cold, the heat having been off for days, so the first thing Sasuke did was switch the heat back on. When he turned back towards his family, he noticed Mikoto standing in place looking at the house around her.

Not much had been changed in years since she "died," but it was still probably a shock. Itachi and Sasuke led her around the house to show her some things she should know. She was intrigued by televisions, which were much thinner and larger than they were when she left, in general. That was when Sasuke realized how much his mother had missed out on, besides his life.

Cell phones with cameras and music built in was an odd concept for Mikoto to understand and she wasn't quite used to the idea of not using CDs, but instead listening to iPods and mp3 players. It was sort of like someone from the past traveling forward in time, marveling at all the wonders of the 21st Century. His mother had been gone for so many developments – social networking, gay rights movements, horrendous reality TV shows a la Jersey Shore and Toddlers and Tiaras. It was kind of amazing to think about.

Mikoto had decided that she was tired after touring the entire downstairs, so Itachi and Kakashi began helping her up the stairs, while Sasuke started to deal with his suitcases. He just threw them into his room with the resolution to unpack later, before leaving to find where Itachi and Kakashi were. He found them outside his parents' room – his mom's room, now – having just gotten Mikoto into bed.

"She's tired after all the physical activity," Itachi told Sasuke when he approached them. "She might be able to walk, but it takes a lot out of her. I'll call her old physician later and set up an appointment for him to come over to see her."

"She'll probably need some physical therapy to regain range of motion and muscle, considering her lack of movement for the last eleven years," Kakashi commented. "It will be a rough road to rehabilitate her, but I don't see why it would be impossible." Sasuke was grateful that she would get back to normal in time. He wouldn't have been surprised if she wasn't able to recover completely from this.

"Kakashi," Itachi said, his tone changing suddenly. "I need to ask you a favor." Both Sasuke and Kakashi's interests were piqued. Kakashi looked at the elder Uchiha expectantly. "It'll probably be a bit of an inconvenience, but I would like for you to move into the mansion for the near future, if you wouldn't mind. With Sasuke starting up school again in a few weeks, another person here to help take care of her will be more than welcome."

"I'll move back in," Sasuke offered. "I don't _have_ to dorm this semester."

"It's alright Sasuke, I'll do it," Kakashi announced. "You need to focus on your schoolwork more than you need to help out around the house. I also think that living away from home has been overall beneficial to you. It won't be a problem." Sasuke was reluctant to stay in the dorms anyway. He'd already missed too much time with his mom. Moving back in would give him a little more time with her.

"I want to stay here," he insisted. "I don't mind if you move in anyway, but I won't just leave Mom when school starts. Who knows when I'll have time to visit when schoolwork starts piling up?" He shook his head, a look of determination on his face. "I'm going to make sure that I switch to being a commuter for the next semester."

"If you're sure," Kakashi responded with a shrug. He figured the conversation was over, but Itachi spoke again.

"I'd still like you to consider moving in, Kakashi," Itachi offered. "We have more than enough space in the house and you've done so much for us while Mother was gone. Besides, I think it would be good for her to have someone around who she has things in common with. You were a part of her social circle before everything happened and I think it would be comforting to have you here for her." Kakashi looked at Sasuke, as if for confirmation and Sasuke nodded.

"I don't have any problem with you moving in," he said plainly. "You've always been there for me, especially when I started drinking again and I think that you're a part of the family, even if your last name isn't 'Uchiha'." Sasuke could see a crinkle in Kakashi's mask that told him that the man was smiling and he returned the smile. Kakashi pulled both him and Itachi into a hug, which Sasuke returned after a moment.

"If you two are sure about this, then that could be arranged," Kakashi said. "I have another few days until school starts up again at Konoha High. I could even sell my apartment and contribute to the household."

"We don't need your money Kakashi," Sasuke said with an amused smile. "I think we've got that pretty much covered for the rest of eternity and we'll still have an extra couple millions dollars left over."

"I insist," Kakashi said and neither Sasuke nor Itachi were going to argue with him. If Kakashi sold his small apartment for market value and put that money towards the household, it would be like pouring a bucket of water into a lake, but it wasn't worth an argument. Itachi left to show Kakashi the guest rooms he could choose from, leaving Sasuke alone in the hallway.

He opened the door to his mother's bedroom and poked a head inside. He couldn't see her face, but just seeing the human-sized lump under the blankets was enough to make Sasuke content. He smiled at the sight and closed the door, wondering when it would finally sink in that his mother was alive.

His mother was alive! He still couldn't believe it!

He pulled out his phone and saw a text from Naruto. _u back yet?_ it read and Sasuke quickly typed his response. _Yeah…you should come over._ He took a trip back to his bedroom, resolving to unpack before Naruto got there. Most of his clothing was laundry, so he just had to throw it into his hamper right now. The rest wouldn't take much time at all.

He put his laptop down on his desk, which was pretty sparse with much of his stuff in his dorm room still. He looked at a few remaining things that were there – a dictionary he hadn't needed, an old keyboard from Sasuke's old computer and various chargers that Sasuke wasn't sure what to do with. And, of course, Naruto's Christmas present.

Sasuke hadn't had the forethought of mind to bring the present with him to New York and was grateful that Naruto didn't have anything to give him up there either. They had briefly agreed to exchange presents when they returned home. Sasuke briefly wondered what Naruto had gotten him as he toyed with the small box that contained the blonde's gift.

It didn't seem like long at all before he heard the doorbell ring. He put the box back on the desk and left the room, running down the stairs to get to the door before Itachi or Kakashi. Luckily for him, they didn't seem to be responding to it. He used his hand to flip his bangs out of his eyes before opening the door for the blond.

They'd only been apart for two days, but Sasuke felt like it had been much longer. He wrapped the blond in his arms, enjoying his smell. The last few weeks had been a roller coaster of emotion and Sasuke didn't know what he would do if he didn't have Naruto. He was the best thing in Sasuke's life, he had realized. Without Naruto, he wouldn't have had any reason to sober up. He never would have looked at Madara's lock box. He'd never have found his mother.

Naruto pulled back first and let himself into the house. Sasuke closed the door behind him. "So how's your mother?" he asked.

"Sleeping in her room," Sasuke said, marveling at how weird that sounded. His mother was sleeping in her room. He wondered when he'd stop feeling weird about this situation. "She's exhausted, but she's healthy, at least."

"Good," Naruto said as he and Sasuke walked up the stairs to his room. "And you? How are you doing?"

"I don't know," Sasuke admitted. "It still hasn't sunk in yet. Kakashi's moving in here and Itachi's been acting like less of an asshole in the last few months. Things are getting so weird." He paused for a moment before returning the question to the blond. "How are _you_?" he asked.

Naruto didn't respond for a moment. "Jiraya told me I have a grandfather in Uzushio," he informed his boyfriend. At his look, he added, "my mother's father, not Kyuubi's."

"How does _that_ feel?" Sasuke asked. It would be nice for him to not be the center of attention for once.

"It's…weird," Naruto admitted. "I want to see him, but I don't know what we'd say. I didn't know my mother except for what Jiraya, Tsunade and Orochimaru told me. He hasn't seen me since I was a baby." Sasuke nodded in understanding. Facing a relative he'd barely known had been quite a recurring theme in their lives. He'd never _really_ known his mother past the age of six, were parents were infallible. "I'm going to go see him at some point, but I have to figure out what I want to say." They turned the corner into the hallway which contained Sasuke's bedroom.

Sasuke closed the door behind them when they got into the room and Naruto immediately made himself comfortable on Sasuke's bed. Sasuke walked over to his desk and picked up the small box which contained Naruto's present.

"Whatcha got there?" Naruto asked, playing around with the snowglobe Sasuke kept on his night stand. He sat up and placed the snowglobe on the stand to look at Sasuke, who turned around to show it to the blond.

"Your Christmas present," he said, walking over to the bed and sitting down next to Naruto. He put the box in Naruto's hands, but Naruto didn't make to open it yet.

"I totally forgot your present back at the dorms!" he said, sounding more regretful than he should have.

"It's fine," Sasuke assured him. "We'll drop by some other time and you'll give it to me. Just open this," he said, nudging his head towards Naruto. Naruto looked from the box to Sasuke back to the box and tore apart the small wrapping around it. From its size, Naruto assumed it was a ring.

He was right. It was a beautiful ring, silver with a stripe of small diamonds running around the circumference. Naruto pulled it out of its cushion and looked at it, mesmerized by the way the diamonds shined. It was the sparkliest, shiniest thing Naruto had ever seen. He figured Sasuke had it professionally cleaned so it looked as new as possible.

As he inspected the ring, he noticed that there was an inscription in the inside of it. He put the ring up to his eyes and squinted to see the flowing, cursive text inside that read: looked from the ring to Sasuke, who seemed to be nervous about Naruto's reaction.

"It took a while to decide what to put in there," Sasuke admitted. "I couldn't put anything too long, but I couldn't think of anything to describe our relationship. Then I came across a flyer that I had brought home from school, like, a year ago for the SasuNaru fan club that they started after we started pretending to date. I realized that it was perfect: short enough to fit, but enough to convey that we belong together." He paused for a moment. "Do you like it?"

"I love it," Naruto said after a moment, leaning in to give Sasuke a kiss. As their tongues danced, Naruto fingered the words on the ring: _SasuNaru_. It was the unofficial 'couple nickname' given to them by Sasuke's fan club after they began to pretend to date. Even though Naruto hadn't thought about that in a while, he loved it. It reminded him of the way they got together. It wasn't conventional, and it wasn't very pleasant when it was happening, but looking back on it, it was perfect. When they pulled back from the kiss, Sasuke slid the ring onto Naruto's ring finger, the ring just a little big on his finger.

"It was my father's," Sasuke admitted. "It was the one thing that they found on him after the car explosion, but I had to get it cleaned up and get some of the diamonds replaced before I could give it to you."

"This is your father's ring?" Naruto asked. It was more than just any random present. This was the best thing Sasuke could have given him. He knew that his gift would pale in comparison to such a raw, emotional profession of love. Sasuke nodded and Naruto pulled him into another kiss, wrapping his arms around the Uchiha and hoping to be able to express as much emotion in the kiss as Sasuke had with the gift.

* * *

Neji looked at his watch again, wondering when his date would show up. He had already had to promise his uncle that yes, he _had_ gotten a date for the function. The party was already a half-hour into festivities and Neji knew that punctuality was a big sticking point for Hiashi. Any chances of him approving of his date flew out the window when the clock struck 9:01.

He resumed listening to his uncle's business associate go on about his previous secretary's filing mistake that resulted in a "hilarious" miscommunication between his CFO and board president. Neji knew he wasn't the only one who had to force a chuckle. When one of the Hyuga Corp. board members pulled him aside to introduce him to his daughter, Neji was cordial and pleasant towards her, but he knew she was about as interested in him as he was in her.

The party was so lively and fun that he found himself checking his watch every three minutes, waiting for his date to arrive. He sought out Hinata and Suigetsu, but they were always busy. They were like the centerfold of the festivities, as it was the first opportunity for most everyone there to meet the new Hyuga in-law. As Hinata's husband, Suigetsu would be ensured a place in the company, stock options and a trust for their child, which would be in his control for the next eighteen years.

At least he didn't have to deal with talking to every single stuffy businessman in the room. The only people who approached him were those he already knew. Most people wanted to stay close to Suigetsu or Hiashi, which suited Neji just fine. Still, he walked over to his cousin to see how she was faring. It had to be overwhelming for her, even though Suigetsu was taking the brunt of the attention.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her in a low voice.

"I'm just really tired," she admitted. "I'll be fine. I'll just sleep through the afternoon tomorrow and I'll be fine." She looked over towards Suigetsu, who was entertaining a few more board members than he had been before. He seemed amiable enough to them, laughing at the right times and speaking when expected to. He looked dashing in a navy blue blazer with a sky blue button down underneath. He didn't wear a tie, making it obvious that while he respected the formality of the occasion, he was a more laid-back person in general than Neji or Hiashi.

"…So then I told him, 'That's not my toaster! That's my wife!'" Suigetsu said, concluding a joke that had the board members roaring in laughter. Neji saw Hiashi approach him and Hinata and braced himself for another question about his date.

"Suigetsu seems to be making quite an impression," Neji told his uncle when he was close enough to them to hear him. Hiashi looked over towards where the light-haired teen was jumping into another joke and returned his gaze to Neji.

"He's not a Hyuga yet," Hiashi said, "but the investors seem to feel he is a breath of fresh air. If this engagement has any effect on stocks, it will almost certainly be positive." He paused for a moment, changing topics. "As for you, Neji, I am told that you are quite taken with Tsugi Amaru."

"She's a nice girl," Neji admitted, "but I don't have any particularly feelings towards her one way or the other."

"Well you will," Hiashi said sternly. "Her father Mogiko is the CEO of Tsugi Technologies. Mr. Tsugi and I have discussed it and we believe that a marriage between you and his Amaru will be the perfect way to facilitate an acquisition of Tsugi Tech. and unite our families." Hinata looked from her father to her cousin in horror, knowing that there was no way this could end well.

"I would love to play such a huge role in the future of our family's company's success, uncle," Neji said with a bow of his head. "Unfortunately, as you know, I have a date here. And I don't plan to make this a one-time thing." To be honest, he hadn't really thought far enough ahead to know whether he'd go out with her more than once, but if it got him out of an arranged marriage, he wouldn't have any hesitation.

"As charming as your date must be," Hiashi began, "I don't see anyone around here. Obviously, this girl has no regards for punctuality. She has given you and I both a grievous insult by not showing up. Why, she might not even be coming. Have you considered that? No," he said shaking his head. "You will marry Tsugi Amaru. It will give you a place on the board, along with her father. But the more Hyugas we have there, the better for the company."

"We just acquired Arame Industries," Neji pointed out. "I'm sure we don't need Tsugi Tech. as well, at least not right away."

"Stock is booming, nephew," Hiashi informed Neji. "Another acquisition will place us at our all-time high, where we were before the recession. The other day when you came to see me, you told me that you accept that I know what's best for this family and this company. Has that changed?" He gave Neji a look that angered him and scared him at the same time.

"_You_ told me to bring a date," Neji accused.

"I figured I'd give you a chance to pick your own wife," Hiashi told him. "Seeing as you failed to produce someone worthy, I have picked one for you." Neji was about to argue with his uncle when Hinata spoke up. She had been so silent that Neji had forgotten she was there.

"She's here," she said softly, looking towards the door. Neji followed his eyes and saw his date standing there, looking elegant in a turquoise gown that complimented both her eyes and her hair. There was a strap on each shoulder and the cut dipped low, showing a tasteful amount of cleavage. There were ruffles down her front, leading down to a small train that dragged on the ground behind her.

On her right side, the gown had a cut that revealed her supple legs. Neji approved of the matching teal high heels that he could see through the cut. In her hand, she held a clutch that was teal as well, fitting in with the color scheme she had picked. Her fingernails were done well, painted a matching turquoise and her facial make-up was done in a way that accentuated her best features. She wore two rings, one on her right index finger and the other on her left middle finger. On her right hand, she had a large, aqua bracelet and a matching necklace with a large turquoise pendant. Her earrings matched the pendant, but looked small enough to not be a literal pain in the neck.

As she walked towards the center of the room, the various people at the party quieted, wondering who this vision was. She wasn't overdressed, but she was certainly one of the best dressed there. Even those talking to Suigetsu stopped to admire her beauty. Hiashi, however seethed, as Neji caught his date's eyes.

"Absolutely not," he said adamantly, but Neji ignored him. With the grace befitting a Hyuga, he traversed the open floor, taking Sakura's hand when she offered it. He bowed his head and kissed the back of her hand, knowing that this was all worth it to see Hiashi's reaction. Every eye was on Neji now and no one would expect him to give up such a beautiful catch so quickly in favor of an arranged marriage. It would be hard for Hiashi to come back from that.

"Who's your date, Neji?" asked a nearby board member, one of the few that Neji could stand.

"Haruno Sakura," Sakura said gracefully, shaking hands with the man. She looked like she had been raised to be like this. All of the practice that Neji had put her through had been worth it.

"Takahashi Hamura," the man replied, giving Sakura a smile. She didn't rush to pull her hand back, but began to engage him in conversation instead. Neji looked over at his uncle, who was giving him a silent command to go to him.

"I must resume my conversation with my uncle," Neji said, excusing himself. "When you two are done talking, please join us," he told Sakura. He left the two to talk to his livid uncle and he knew that as satisfying as this was, Hiashi wouldn't like it.

Hiashi was always wary about people who weren't 'like them' (read: rich) becoming friends with his children and his nephew. He assumed everyone was out to take money from them. Sasuke was acceptable because he came from money. Tenten was acceptable as well, but only because her family was an old one that could trace its ancestry to the Sui Dynasty of China. While she wasn't rich, her family was old, noble and honorable. He even accepted Gaara, mostly because he knew that Gaara was gay and had no intention of worming his way into Hinata's life romantically to get money.

But Sakura was always different. Hiashi never liked the way that Sakura was close with Neji. Even when Neji dated Tenten, he and Sakura hung out often, much to Hiashi's discontent. It grew even further when he found out that Neji and Tenten broke up when they went to different universities. He was sure that Sakura was just a gold digger trying to worm her way into Neji's romantic sights. Her friendship with Hinata, to Hiashi, was also to that end.

So this was outrageous. Neji was dangling Sakura in front of his uncle, saying 'yes, we are involved romantically,' even if they weren't actually romantically involved at all. But if Hiashi knew that, he wouldn't hesitate to marry Neji off to Amaru.

"What are you _thinking_?" Hiashi asked in a low, angry voice. "I've told you time and time again–"

"She's not like that," Neji cut in. "You don't know her like I do."

"That's what everyone says before they are scammed out of their money," Hiashi argued. "You intend to give up a profitable marriage to a lovely and beautiful young women from a prominent family for this charlatan? I won't have it."

"Then don't," Neji said angrily. "I'm not asking for your approval. I'm telling you that she and I are together. Deal with it." He walked away, returning to his date who was intently listening to Mr. Takahashi's story about his third wife's pet gerbils. "I hate to interrupt, but I need to steal my date for a moment." The man was very gracious and didn't argue when Neji pulled Sakura away.

"What was that about with your uncle?" she asked.

"He wants me to marry the daughter of a business associate so he can take over their company," Neji said with bitterness in his voice. He led Sakura out back onto the balcony, the cool air a refreshing change from the warm room inside. He and Sakura looked out towards the night sky, fireworks exploding in the distance.

"What did you tell him?" Sakura asked the brunet. Neji sighed and brought his hands up to rub his temples. His uncle's demand had left him with an annoying headache.

"I told him that we're together," he admitted, looking to the pinkette to respond. She was surprised by his actions, he could tell, but he couldn't decipher her face well enough to know whether or not she was mad. "I'm sorry if I overstepped, but I panicked."

"No, I understand," she said, turning her head to look to the fireworks once more. A small one flew up into the air and burst into blue, white, purple and green explosions that would probably be deafening if they were closer. It was beautiful. "I wouldn't want to have to marry someone I don't love and I wouldn't wish that on you, either." She paused and when Neji was confident she wasn't going to continue, he responded.

"So…" he began, trying to figure out how to phrase his request. "…would you mind if we pretend that this is real?" he asked tentatively. "Just in front of Hiashi, I mean." She didn't respond at first, but Neji decided not to push. He joined her in watching the fireworks as she mulled over his question. Finally, she pushed back on the balcony's stone guard rail and stood up straight.

"Sure, why not?" she decided. "It's not like I have any romantic prospects right now."

"You're the best," Neji said with a relieved sigh. He hugged the girl and she returned it. They looked back towards the fireworks for a few seconds until they heard a growing noise from inside.

"Thirty…Twenty-nine…Twenty-eight," came the voices. As the seconds went on, more voices were added and the volume increased even more. Neji led Sakura back inside to the rest of the party, where most people were watching the large television and counting down with the host of the show. "Eighteen…Seventeen…Sixteen." Neji's eyes caught Hinata's first and then her father who was standing well away from both of them, a frown on his face. "Ten…nine…eight…" His father gave him a disapproving look, but Neji knew he couldn't relent. Not if he wanted to make his own future. "Four…three…two…one…"

As noise erupted in the room and people wished each other a happy new year, Neji leaned down and gave Sakura a lingering kiss on the cheek. He didn't want to overstep his boundaries, but he needed to show that he and Sakura were affectionate. When he pulled back, he first saw Hiashi's scowl and then saw Suigetsu and Hinata caught in the end of an intense lip lock that had everyone watching.

"Happy New Year, Neji," Sakura said. Neji looked back at her and felt a bubbly feeling begin in his stomach.

"Happy New Year to you, too," he told her.

* * *

All the nice restaurants in town were booked, which was very bad for Kiba, who had forgotten to reserve a place for him and Gaara to eat. He frantically looked at the screen of his iPhone, which was currently showing restaurants near Konoha. The nicest place with an open table was all the way outside the city limits, closer to Kiri than it was to Konoha.

"Fuck," he growled, exiting the screen and sighing heavily. How could he be so irresponsible? He had _insisted_ to Gaara that he'd take care of their New Year's date. That was the deal – Kiba did New Year's and Gaara did their anniversary. It was worth it to hear Gaara say that he planned for them to stay together for months to come.

But of course, he fucked it up.

He looked at the clock and saw that it was 7:30. There was no way that there would be any place with open seats. Every single place in Konoha was probably full at the moment and he would have to tell Gaara that he'd fucked up their date night. Panicking, he decided he needed some help and picked up the telephone.

The phone rang five times before Naruto picked up and Kiba was so sure that he would get voicemail. He knew that Ino and Shikamaru were off somewhere for New Year's, but he wasn't sure about Naruto's plans. If Naruto didn't pick up, Kiba would be shit out of luck.

"_What do you want, dog boy? I'm getting ready,_" was Naruto's answer.

"I told Gaara I'd take him out tonight, but I forgot to get reservations anywhere," Kiba said, ignoring the playful jibe Naruto had given him. "What do I do?" he asked in a pleading voice.

"_How am I supposed to know?_" Naruto asked incredulously. "_I've never had to get reservations on New Year's!_"

"That's not helping!" Kiba said frantically. Naruto took a deep breath on the other line, knowing he'd have to have patience to help Kiba with the situation.

"_Look, Gaara's a romantic sap, from what you've told me,_" Naruto said slowly. _"He loves when you take him out for pizza, or when you made EasyMac for a special date. Just pull some Kiba magic and do something sappy and romantic."_

"Like what?!" Kiba asked, growing more and more panicked by the minute. "I can't just bring him to a pizzeria for _New Year's_!"

"_I don't know!_" Naruto said defensively. "_Have a picnic somewhere that's special to you, maybe?_" Kiba froze, phone in his hand as Naruto waited for a response. "_Hello? Kiba?_"

"A picnic!" Kiba exclaimed excitedly as he hung up the phone, ignoring Naruto's questions. He ran to the fridge in his house and yanked it open, a soda bottle falling out of the door as it opened. He put it back and then looked through the fridge for something acceptable for a picnic. "Shit," he said when he realized they didn't have much food in the house.

He had to make a split second decision, as Gaara expected to be picked up at 8:00. What was he supposed to do?

He showed up at Gaara's house twenty minutes late to find a seething Gaara. He apologized profusely as the redhead got into the car, but refused to answer Gaara's questions about where they were going. It was lucky for Kiba that Gaara didn't notice the picnic basket in the back seat.

After a few minutes, he got Gaara to calm down about his tardiness and they were able to engage in civil conversation. Kiba got on the highway going into the city as Gaara told him more about the last few days since they saw each other. Unlike Naruto and Sasuke, Kiba and Gaara preferred to only see each other two or three times a week instead of every day. It gave them more to talk about and allowed them to remain more independent outside their relationship.

Gaara told Kiba about his frustration towards his brother and sister, who insisted on hogging up all the time in the bathroom. Temari at least had an excuse; she was going out on a date with some guy from her work. Kankuro, on the other hand, ignored Gaara's need to get ready so that he could take the longest shit in recorded history. "Still," he said pointedly, "I managed to get ready _before_ you were supposed to pick me up." Kiba decided to ignore that jibe as he exited the highway in downtown Konoha.

Gaara's interest was piqued when Kiba got onto the same highway in the direction from which they'd come. He voiced his curiosity, but Kiba remained mum on the details. He had figured the perfect place for him and Gaara to have their picnic would be where their relationship first started – on the side of the road on the highway, where Gaara had taken them the night they'd first had sex.

Kiba remembered that day like it was yesterday, which was impressive considering how drunk he'd been. After hooking up with Gaara at Mangekyo, they had driven halfway to the university before Gaara had to stop driving. One thing led to another and they ended up taking each other's virginity. It was a little later that they'd decided to give their relationship a go, but Kiba considered that spot to be where their relationship began.

He remembered that spot exactly. The next morning, because they had run out of gas, they needed to call Sasuke to pick them up. But before Sasuke got there, Kiba had taken a small walk about a half-mile up and down the highway to see where they were exactly. So when they passed the exit right before 'their spot,' Kiba began to slow down. Luckily for him, there were few cars on the road. He pulled over to the shoulder and put the car in park.

"What are you doing?" Gaara asked when the brunet switched gears. "Why aren't we going to our date?"

"We're already here," Kiba said with a smile as he unbuckled and opened his car door. It was then that Gaara realized _where_ they were and a reluctant smile crossed his features. He followed Kiba out of the car and noticed he was taking things out of the back seat. He first produced a medium-sized picnic basket, which brought on another reluctant smile from Gaara. He was a sucker for romantic gestures like these. When he produced two blankets and two pillows, Gaara thought he was crazy.

"You expect us to _sleep_ here?" he asked incredulously.

"We already have once before," Kiba pointed out.

"We slept in the _car_," Gaara argued.

"And I'm sure the soft ground will be much more comfortable," Kiba replied, ending the discussion. He piled one blanket and the pillows on the ground next to the car and brought the other blanket and the basket to the grass next to the highway. He placed the basket down so he could unfold the blanket and spread it out. "Let's try and not get crumbs on this, though," he said to Gaara, who shook his head in amused exasperation.

Kiba sat down and placed the basked on the middle of the blanket. Gaara followed, taking a place on the other side of the basket, as Kiba opened it up and pulled things out.

"Here's your buffalo chicken, parmesan cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise on a whole wheat hero roll," Kiba said, producing Gaara's favorite deli sand which from the basket. He also tossed a can of Dr Pepper to Gaara, who almost dropped it. He handed his boyfriend a napkin before pulling out his own sandwich, oven gold turkey with Munster cheese, pickles, lettuce, ketchup and onions, along with his Coke.

"Only you, Kiba," Gaara said with a smile. It was hard not to smile when he did something so…Kiba. Yeah, he'd expected some fancy restaurant packed with other couples celebrating the new year, but this was just as good. In fact, it was better. Kiba knew exactly what to bring for him, right down to the blueberry pie. Sure, apple was Kiba's favorite, but since blueberry was Gaara's, he'd brought blueberry. Those small gestures were what made Kiba the best boyfriend he could have asked for.

Gaara wasn't even paying attention to Kiba's story about Ino and Shikamaru ditching him at the mall the other day. Kiba was obviously very animated while telling the story, but Gaara could only think of how he got so lucky. He'd never have thought that he would end up with Kiba of all people, but now that he knew how thoughtful and generous Kiba was, he couldn't imagine himself with anyone else.

"I love you," Gaara said, interrupting Kiba's story. Instead of getting angry, Kiba's face erupted into a smile that ran from ear to ear. He leaned over, across the blanket, to plant a kiss on Gaara's mouth. Gaara accepted the kiss fully, moving the picnic basket off the blanket as he returned the smooch. When the blanket was clear of all distractions, he pushed Kiba backwards, settling on top of him. The entire time they shifted, their lips maintained contact, until Kiba was lying down on his back with Gaara on top of him.

Gaara's tongue danced with Kiba's in a familiar rhythm that they had practiced to perfection in the recent months. He began rolling his hips against Kiba's, pulling a muffled groan out of the brunet. Kiba bucked his hips up in time with Gaara's as the redhead snaked his hands up Kiba's shirt.

As they began to shed clothing, Gaara realized that they were out in the open for anyone to see. He voiced his concern to Kiba. "Gaara, there have been, like six cars on the road in the last hour. No one's going to see us. He reached over to the pillows and the other blanket. "Besides, what did you think I brought this for?" He put the pillows down on top of the first blanket and then placed the second blanket on top of them, so their half-nude bodies were concealed from anyone who would happen to see them.

Gaara was nervous, but to be honest, it was somewhat exhilarating. When they were completely nude, all Gaara could think was that a thin fabric was the only thing shielding them from being naked to any eye that looked. As Kiba thrust in him repeatedly, hitting that spot over and over again, he moaned. When he saw headlights approach and pass them as Kiba filled him with his seed, he came just from the thought that if the driver cared at all, he'd see them making love. Gaara wasn't an exhibitionist at all, but it was still the hottest thing he'd thought of.

In fact, it wasn't long before Gaara had them going for another round. Kiba was slightly exhausted, but exorbitant horniness wasn't something usual for Gaara, so he acquiesced. To be fair, it wasn't exactly a burden on him. The second time, Gaara insisted on doing it doggy style. He didn't tell Kiba it was because he was hoping to see some more people passing by.

Kiba's fingers pressed hard into Gaara's hips as his feral instincts took over. He slammed into him hard, making sure that the blanket wasn't coming off. Gaara's cock pressed up between his abdomen and the blanket-covered earth, but he didn't need to even touch himself to come as his eyes caught a biker riding by on his motorcycle. Kiba lowered his head to the redhead's shoulder and bit hard when he came, leaving his mark all over his boyfriend.

The second time, coming down from the high was much easier. Gaara was as spent as his boyfriend was, content with the pleasurable ache in his rump and the feeling of Kiba's marks. He didn't even mind the mess. He snuggled closer to Kiba, whose prick was still softening inside the redhead.

"I love you, you know," Gaara whispered.

"Me too," Kiba said, kissing the back of Gaara's neck. He arranged them so that they both had their heads on a pillow without his now-flaccid cock leaving Gaara's well-abused ass. As he settled his face into the crook between Gaara's head and shoulder, he could hear the alarm on his phone go off. He reached over to turn it off and returned his head to Gaara's nook. "It's midnight," he mumbled. "Happy 2013." Gaara shifted to move over and kiss Kiba. Even though he was tired, Kiba was more than willing to accept and return the kiss.

"Let's do this again next year," Gaara decided as he moved his head back and they resumed their previous position. Kiba's chest swelled with love. Yeah, he could do this again.

* * *

"What the _fuck_ is she thinking?" Ino growled at the television, throwing her remote on the ground in frustration. "He abused her once and he'll do it again. Is she crazy?" Shikamaru yawned.

"I'm pretty sure Rihanna's already heard this advice from people who actually know her," Shikamaru commented. "Besides, it's not your problem, it's hers. If she wants to hook up with again, it doesn't affect you in the least." Ino fumed at his blasé attitude towards it, but she didn't argue. There was no point in getting into an argument. "If you really have that much of a problem watching them, then change the channel. I hear Muse is on CBS."

Ino didn't respond to that either. She was already a little mad at Shikamaru for not asking her out on a date for New Year's Eve. Sure, they weren't dating, but they were close enough, right? They'd hung out so much in the last few weeks that everyone assumed they were dating, but Shikamaru still didn't have the balls – or maybe the motivation – to ask her out. It's not like she was expecting him to pay for all their dates or carry the relationship; she was looking for a relationship as an equal. But still, she shouldn't be the one to ask _him_ out. She'd made it obvious she was interested, right?

She showed up to his dorm room to watch the New Year's specials with him. She was constantly coming over to hang out with him. She always ended up making the first move, it seemed to her. Shikamaru should show some investment for once. Would that be so horrible?

Maybe he wasn't interested, Ino thought for the hundredth time that week. Was it really so hard to believe? He'd never shown much interest in her past friendship, but he didn't show much interest in anything except cloud watching, so it might just be a Shikamaru thing. Or maybe he was too nervous to ask her out first. Looking at him, no one would call him nervous, but there was no way he was as apathetic as he always appeared. Ino was sure that he was suppressing some major emotions in there. Maybe if she brought those out, he'd ask her on a date? They could even be going out by Valentine's Day.

_No,_ she told herself. _If he wants this, he's going to have to work for it. I'm not going to date someone who isn't as invested in a relationship as she is. That was just a disaster waiting to happen._

When Rihanna finished her song, the host of the show came back on and started making really pathetic jokes with his correspondent. It would be another commercial break until Green Day came out and before the commercial break was a good five minutes or so of boring talking. She could either watch that or engage Shikamaru in conversation.

"So what do you do for New Year's every year?" Ino asked him as the television droned on. She was the one who insisted they watch the shows, since he didn't have any plans.

"Sleep," he said with a yawn. "Sometimes I go out cloud watching."

"You don't go out to parties or anything?" she asked astonished. Even the most antisocial people she knew had been to at least one New Year's party. They were all over the place.

"I went to one once," he admitted. "Didn't like it." That was _just_ like Shikamaru to do. They were silent for a moment until he spoke up again. "Is this what you do on New Year's?" He said it with a tone that clearly said that it wasn't much better than sleeping and Ino reluctantly agreed with that statement.

"I used to go out and party with Kiba, Naruto and the others," she said. "I was kind of hoping to have a date this year, so I didn't really make plans with anyone." She had been dropping these colossal hints for weeks and he just wasn't getting it. For such a genius, he was either an idiot or the most boring dud on the planet. Or both.

"Kiba and Naruto both have dates," Shikamaru said. He probably thought he was contributing to the conversation. All it did was piss Ino off. _Yes, Shikamaru_, she wanted to say. _They both have dates and I'm all alone because you're too thick-headed to do anything about it._ She was starting to get really fed up by now.

Performances continued and Shikamaru continued to infuriate Ino with his silence. They were always together. Why didn't he see what she was sure everyone else saw? It wasn't like it was a state secret that she wanted him to ask her out. She'd hit him over the head with it time and time again. Either he was much stupider than he claimed, or he was playing stupid. Ino hoped it was the first.

She thought she covered well, though. She talked about ever singly performer who took the stage. "Her superbowl performance better be better than this," Ino commented when Beyoncé took the stage. "It's about time she made a comeback," he said with Christina Aguilera sang her new song. "They are the definition of adorable," she said when One Direction took over. Shikamaru didn't once try to start a conversation about it.

Okay, so maybe music wasn't his thing. She could accept that. But what else was there to do tonight if he was refusing to go out? Really, he was such a drag!

Fuck and now he had her talking like him!

"You're obviously not enjoying this," she said, turning off the TV mid-way through Rihanna's performance. It was only a few minutes before midnight. "What else would you like to do?"

"I was fine with that," he said with a shrug. "I dunno, I usually don't do anything for New Year's Eve. The major networks are always showing music and all the cable channels just play reruns of shit. I don't really like going out because everyone wants to get shitfaced and it's all such a drag."

"You should have asked someone out on a date," Ino said pointedly. "You'd have a romantic New Year's Eve instead of a crappy one."

"Yeah, like anyone will go out with me," he said with a roll of his eyes. "I don't know if you've noticed this, Ino, but I don't really have any female friends. You're the only person I hang out with at all. And I can't just go asking out someone that I don't know." Ino was fuming inside. He had _friend-zoned_ her? That was totally unfair. He didn't even see her as a romantic option!

"Maybe I should just go," Ino said, grabbing her purse off the floor and standing up. "I don't want to get in the way of your _crappy_ New Year's Eve!" She began to storm out, but Shikamaru's words made her stop.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked. "Why are you so angry all of a sudden?" She turned around and yelled at him.

"Because for someone who has a 4.0 average without once showing up to class or opening a textbook, you are the dumbest person on Earth!" she yelled at him at the risk of waking anyone in nearby rooms who were trying to sleep. Oh, who was she kidding? It was New Year's Eve! No one was asleep. "Here I am, practically hitting you over the head with the fact that I want you to ask me out and you have the _nerve_ to say you have 'no female friends' and 'no one to ask out'! If you took your head out of your ass for once in your life, you'd realize that you've got someone more than willing to go on dates with you and be your girlfriend!

"How that bitch Temari ever put up with you is beyond me," she continued. "I don't understand how you guys started going out, but she was obviously the one who made the first move. Well, I'm done _subtly implying_ and _hinting_ towards you asking me out. I'm just done." She turned and walked towards the door. She heard Shikamaru following her, but she ignored him and slammed the door in his face. As she walked down the hallway, she heard the door open and close and she picked up her pace to get away. She was on the verge of tears and she didn't want Shikamaru to see her crying.

"Ino! Stop!" he yelled after her, breaking out into a run to catch her before she got away. She stepped into the elevator, which, on second thought, wasn't a good idea. She repeatedly pressed the door closed button and was relieved when it started to close. But as it was closing, Shikamaru caught up and squeezed in. The elevator doors opened up and he was able to enter.

When the doors closed, the elevator began to go down, but Shikamaru pressed the stop button. "Just leave me alone," she said with a miserable tone of voice. "I really don't want to get into this."

"Well it's too late for that," Shikamaru said. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

"'I was expecting to go out on a date,' 'You should have asked someone out'." Ino scoffed. "All I've done for months was hint at it. I expected you to get the idea and do something about it, but you're obviously too dense to understand anything."

"You _know_ I'm not good at this," Shikamaru accused. "You even called me socially retarded a few weeks ago!"

"I _kissed you_ at the Halloween party!" Ino yelled. "I'd think that would have been a clue for you!"

"I thought you were drunk," he accused. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Look, Ino, I've never really had many friends. I don't know where the line is between friendship and more. If you've been flirting with me for the last few months, you should have picked up on that. I'm sorry if you feel like I purposely made you feel bad." Ino was silent at his admission. He had awful social skills and he knew it. Ino could see that he hadn't had a clue until she blew up at him that she had feelings for him at all.

"So how _do_ you feel about me?" she asked, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. Now that things were out in the open, she needed to know.

"I think I like you," Shikamaru admitted. "More than like a friend." Ino guessed that was the best she could hope for right now. "I'd like to go out with you sometime, if you're still up for it…like a date," he added quickly. She looked him up, not really knowing what she was going to do with him. She had feelings for him, but she felt like she was pulling teeth any time she tried to get him to show emotion. If they were going to go out, she would have to fix that.

"I'm not drunk," she said quietly as she moved forward to kiss him. He responded slowly, opening his mouth to let her tongue in. As with most parts of their friendship/relationship, she was the one who led, making the boundaries and showing him what was okay. And it worked for him, she guessed. He drove her certifiably crazy, but she knew she was only crazy for him.

* * *

Suigetsu had been nervous about the function. Like, incredibly nervous. He had no idea what was expected of him and even less of an idea how he should act. The one thing Hiashi made quite clear was that he needed to impress the board. If he was going to marry Hinata and be ensured a spot in the company, he would have to be in their good graces.

He had Gaara help him pick out the best clothes to wear. Gaara had one of the best eyes for fashion around and Suigetsu could trust he wouldn't pick out anything outrageous or unSuigetsu. Hiashi hadn't given him much of a money limit for their shopping for formal clothing and Gaara was able to find an outfit that was very Suigetsu and very classy at the same time.

He wore a sky blue button-down underneath a navy blazer. Gaara had insisted he not wear a tie. Although most people at functions liked to wear ties, it didn't portray who Suigetsu was. Suigetsu was laid back. He'd wear formal clothes for a formal function, but he wouldn't turn into a different person. His pants were a matching navy and his shoes such a deep blue that they looked black until you looked closely.

He had been a hit; he knew that when he ended up telling funny stories to the crowd of board members standing around him. He could tell that he was a breath of fresh air to these stuffy men, who usually dealt with people who had sticks shoved up their ass. He'd practiced jokes with Gaara, knowing that joking was a great way to ingratiate oneself. He'd never expected his casual demeanor with a slight leaning towards more raunchy topics to be such a hit, though.

The party was to celebrate Hyuga Corp.'s acquisition of Arame Industries and Hiashi was using it as an excuse to introduce Suigetsu. Suigetsu and Hinata were soon the center of attention, putting on a loving front to the people who didn't know them. Suigetsu knew that Hinata was uncomfortable with it, but he didn't have too much of a problem.

As soon as he'd wrapped his head around spending his life with Hinata and their child, it wasn't such a bad idea. Hinata was nothing if not dutiful and if they should manage to actually develop feelings for each other, it would make for a wonderful life together. He knew they liked each other as friends, which was a good start. And they had to be attracted to each other if they managed to sleep together, even if she had been drunk at the time. It was very possible for things to develop further and it was something which Suigetsu hoped for.

But for now, they'd have to settle for putting on a front, pretending to be wildly in love. When news of Hinata's pregnancy broke, it would be necessary for them to seem in love, as opposed to being the product of a one-night stand. Hiashi was planning on announcing her pregnancy after her first trimester was over, in February. They'd be married in March, go on a honeymoon and return in April, with more than enough time to relax before their child's late-June/early-July due date.

Hinata had left him a while ago to talk with Neji and Suigetsu was acutely aware that Hiashi had joined them and was now being a dick to them. He continued to talk more, though, speaking of his brother Kisame, his life and how his family had come into money. Being an initial stockholder of Microsoft paid off heavily for their family. But for some extra money after they died, Kisame had sold the shares years back, not knowing what he was doing. They'd gotten enough money to buy the mansion and live nicely, but Kisame then decided to invest it with some scam and lose all their money. But Suigetsu skimmed over that part. It would beg the question of how he still lived in the house and he didn't want to explain that Hiashi was blackmailing him.

After a few minutes, Suigetsu saw Sakura enter the room, wearing an amazing teal/turquoise outfit, complete with matching accessories, shoes and make-up. She was the most beautiful person in the room and Suigetsu knew that months ago, he'd be walking right up to her to get her into bed. But he was engaged now, a changed person and Sakura walked over to Neji instead. After a few moments, Hinata had joined him again.

Sakura had distracted the others, much to Suigetsu's relief. He had no desire to keep going on and on. He had run out of stories about school and family and the only jokes he had left were liable to get him kicked out.

"Do you mind if we go somewhere and talk?" Hinata asked him quietly and Suigetsu nodded. He followed her as they made their way to the balcony to speak, but they were intercepted by another man, one of the few people who he hadn't yet met tonight.

"You two make such a lovely couple," he said with a smile on his face as a woman – his wife, assumedly – approached. "I'm Takashi Moguki and this is my wife, Shinda. Our daughter Amaru is around here somewhere."

"Hozuki Suigetsu," Suigetsu said with a cordial smile, shaking the man's hand and then the woman's.

"Hyuga Hinata," Hinata added with her own soft smile, following Suigetsu's suit.

"Of course, of course," Moguki said with a smile. "Your father has told us all about you." Suigetsu sent Hiashi a glance, but the other man was busy fuming, looking at Sakura and Neji together. "Young love," he said with a sad smile. "I only hope our daughter manages to find some."

"I'm sure she will," Hinata told him, but Moguki didn't respond to her. Instead, he looked at Suigetsu.

"I was hoping to have a word with you, Mr. Hozuki," Moguki questioned. "Businessman to businessman."

"I'm no businessman," Suigetsu said with a smile.

"You will be," Moguki responded. He jerked his head to the side and Suigetsu nodded. He turned to Hinata, who was looking at him questioningly.

"We'll talk later, honey," he said, following Moguki. When they were well away from Hinata and Shinda, Suigetsu spoke. "What is it you wish to talk about?"

"Is there somewhere we can talk, away from the party?" Moguki asked and Suigetsu nodded. He led Moguki up the stairs toward the guest room, where much of the wedding planning was being done. Wedding dresses were laid out on the bed, bottles of different champagne around the room to be tasted, different fabrics and pictures strewn around. It was messy, but it was private. "I wish to talk briefly about Hyuga Hiashi."

"I'm all ear," Suigetsu said, more curious than anything. Moguki's entire demeanor had changed and he looked more serious than cordial.

"Don't think you can fool me, Mr. Hozuki," Moguki warned. "You might be able to put on a good show out there, but I can see the contempt in your eyes. Hiashi has done something bad to you, correct?" Suigetsu was floored by this man's question. Yeah, Hiashi had done something bad, if by 'bad,' he meant 'blackmailing and bribing Suigetsu to keep the Hyuga image clean.' But still, he couldn't just talk behind his back like this. Who was this man who was asking questions anyway?

"Don't feel bad to tell me the truth," Moguki assured. "Hiashi has done something bad to me, too."

"What's he done?" Suigetsu asked, curious about what the man wanted.

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours," he said mischievously. "I am the founder and CEO of Tsugi Technologies." He saw the recognition on Suigetsu's face. "Tsugi Tech. has been developing a new tablet, one that has the ability to do everything a normal tablet can do –internet, books, music – but much more. It will connect to satellite television and you can watch TV wherever you go as long as you have the tablet with you. It will stream any movie for free as well. All it requires is subscriptions to satellite and our movie database. It will revolutionize entertainment and technology."

"That sounds awesome," Suigetsu admitted. "But what does that have to do with Hiashi?"

"I'm getting there," Moguki assured him. "Months ago, Hiashi got wind of the TsugiTab's development and he began to orchestrate a takeover. He was able to get all the shares he needs to be on the board of Tsugi Tech. and already has allies that will make him even more powerful. Last week, he offered me a deal. I could get a place on the board of Hyuga Corp. and marry my daughter Arame to his nephew Neji and in return, I agree to a takeover of Tsugi Tech. He knew that I got wind of his takeover and was planning on destroying the data for TsuiTab, which would make his takeover pointless.

"He cost me my family's legacy, not to mention my reputation. Tsugi Tech. was going to be an unstoppable force, rivaling Microsoft and Apple. But instead, Hyuga Hiashi stifled my progress and made me his bitch." It felt odd hearing the businessman curse, but Suigetsu kept silent. "I assume something similar happened to you. From what I know of you, your family had money and you invested it poorly. You were broke one day and the next day, you were rich again. And now you're engaged to Hiashi's daughter." He gave Suigetsu a pointed look. "Tell me all you can and I promise, we can take Hiashi down."

Suigetsu's head was spinning. He knew Hiashi was a certified asshole and even after acquiescing to his demands, Neji had already implied that Hiashi would take more and more from him. He already made Hinata's living at home and their child's trust conditional upon their marriage and had apparently betrothed Neji without his knowledge. As much as he didn't want to take the risk, he knew that a nullified Hyuga Hiashi would be best for everyone. The man was manipulative and controlling to the worst extent.

So he told Tsugi Moguki _everything_. How his parents got their money and how his brother gambled it all away on a risky business venture. How he slept around and ended up sleeping with a drunk Hinata. How Hinata was pregnant and kicked out of the family. How Hiashi forced Suigetsu into marrying her or else he would lose his house and his education. He told Moguki about his antagonistic relationship with his whole family, even Neji. And in return, Moguki told Suigetsu more about what his PI dug up on Hiashi.

None of it was surprising. It was mostly business deals that he had come upon using bribery, blackmail, coercion and other various unethical practices. He noticed some associations in the mid-90s between Hyuga Corp. and a company called Mangekyo Industries, which had the same name as Suigetsu's favorite bar in the city. There were a lot of money transfers back and forth between the two and Hyuga Corp. seemed to fund some sort of drug that MI had been working on, but the entire thing was very hush-hush and there was little information to be found.

When Suigetsu and Moguki returned to the party, it was almost midnight. There was a minute left and Suigetsu went to join Hinata in the crowd around the television. She jumped when he wrapped his arms around her from behind, but when she realized it was him, she seemed to relax a little.

Moguki wanted to take down her father, his father-in-law-to-be. It could endanger the entire company and the prosperity of his family if he let it happen, but if he didn't, Hiashi was liable to destroy them. Hopefully he and Neji could be able to keep the company afloat if Moguki got what he wanted – undeniable proof that Hiashi made illegal dealings in the 90s and acquired small, rising corporations through illegal means.

Did he risk telling Hinata or Neji? What if they told Hiashi? Then they could all be fucked. But if he didn't, he wasn't sure that their family would survive. If Hyuga went bankrupt from the fallout of Hiashi's possible future arrest, they would lose all their money and Suigetsu would be back where he started.

As the clock struck midnight and he caught Hinata's mouth in a passionate kiss, he decided to not decide. He would wait and see and if Hiashi seemed to be a threat to his family, then he would help Moguki in any way he could. But until then, he was content to enjoy Hinata's tongue in his mouth.

After their searing kiss, Hinata had led Suigetsu back outside to the balcony, this time not being intercepted on the way. She was deep in thought as the cold air blew around them.

"Happy 2013," he said to her with a smile. "The first of many New Year's we spend together." He wanted to love her so bad. He wanted her to love him back even more. But she didn't look at him with eyes that suggested hidden feelings. She just looked at him like a partner in misery. In fact, she looked on the verge of tears right now. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"There can't be any more New Year's," she said sadly. "I can't do this. I can't marry someone I don't love."

Suigetsu felt the world crash around him. If Hinata wouldn't marry him, he'd have to drop out and get a job, because Hiashi would kick him and Kisame out of their house. He'd have no money, no prospect for the future. His life would be over if Hinata decided to break off this engagement. He couldn't let that happen.

"You can grow to love me," he told her. "We're almost there. We were friends, sort of, right? We can make it work. If not for us, then for the baby." He reached out to touch her stomach, but she moved back.

"I've made my decision," she said, tears starting to fall from her cheeks. "I won't tell my father until next week, so that I have enough time to get my things together after he kicks me out. I suggest you take that time to find a job and a place to stay." No, this couldn't be happening. He couldn't let this happen. Where would he go? Where could they stay? Kisame had found them an apartment, but it was sold to someone else after Suigetsu agreed to marry Hinata. They had nowhere.

He watched Hinata turn around and walk inside and he suddenly felt the stinging cold of the wind. Happy New Year, huh?

* * *

Sasuke knocked three times on the door to his and Naruto's dorm room. The blond had left his house a few hours ago and had just texted him to come over so Naruto could give him his Christmas gift. He waited a few seconds, but when it was obvious that Naruto wasn't going to answer it, he pulled out his keys and unlocked the door.

When he threw the door open, what he saw made him stop in shock. Naruto was laying down on Sasuke's bed; there was nothing unusual except for the clothes he wore. Or should he say the lack of clothes he wore? Naruto was clad in only the sexy cat costume that he'd bought months back when he believed he was a girl. The top was mesh, allowing Sasuke to see through to Naruto's taut chest. A hood came up above Naruto's head, leaving only a small tuft of blond exposed. Three whiskers hung on each cheek and there were two cat ears attached to the hoody.

The lower half of his body was even more breathtaking. A small fabric was stretched to it's limit by Naruto's erect member. It was designed for girls after all; it wasn't meant to have more than a couple inches sticking out. Around the ass were straps that made it almost look like an athletic cup, a strap around his lower back and two more straps ran, one on each thigh, around each plump rump. They connected back with the fabric in the front underneath Naruto's cock. A tail stuck out from the fabric on his lower back and it was flipped over his thigh for Sasuke to see. His legs were completely naked.

"Do you like your present?" Naruto purred, laying down on his right side with his head held up on his hand. After Sasuke refused to respond, Naruto chuckled. "Speechless, huh?"

"D-Does this mean…" Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat. "Does this mean what I think it means?" He wasn't playing around and Naruto changed from playful to serious just as quickly. He gave a curt nod.

"I think I'm ready," he confirmed.

Sasuke was over to the bed before Naruto knew it, his tongue already lodged down the blonde's throat. He lifted Naruto up and sat down on the bed before lying down with Naruto on top. Naruto ran his hands up Sasuke's shirt, playing with his abs, as he thrust his barely clothed member against Sasuke's. The two rocked their hips in conjunction as Naruto pulled Sasuke shirt off him.

Naruto pulled his mouth of Sasuke's and attached it to his neck, leaving a trail of hickeys on his way down to Sasuke's jeans. With every suck, nip and bite, Sasuke's cock strained harder against his pants and he was already moaning so loudly that if anyone else was nearby, they would know exactly what was going on.

When Naruto finally made it down to Sasuke's pants, he didn't hesitate to open them, freeing Sasuke's cock from its confinement. Sasuke lifted his hips for Naruto to pull down the pants and they joined his shirt on the discarded clothes pile on the ground. Naruto gripped Sasuke's cock at the base and lowered his head to engulf Sasuke's member.

He'd learned how Sasuke liked it. He sucked as he pulled up and made his throat vibrate on the way down. His hand moved in rhythm with his mouth and his other hand came up to play with Sasuke's balls. Naruto rolled the two balls between his fingers as he worked more and more of his cock into his mouth. He had limits, though and was only able to get about 3/4 of it in his mouth before beginning to gag.

He began to pick up a rhythm and before long, he felt Sasuke coming close. He pulled himself off his boyfriend's cock and smiled. "You're not allowed to cum yet," he said mischievously. Sasuke reached over to the nightstand, where Naruto had already put some lube and a condom out.

"You're sure?" he asked. Naruto bit his lip and nodded.

"Do you want me to do it with this on?" Naruto asked, indicating his costume. After a moment's hesitation, Sasuke gave a shake of his head.

"I love the present, but I just want it to be us on our first time," he told the blond. Naruto sat up and took the entire piece off, becoming naked in record time. Sasuke squirted a generous amount of lube onto his fingers and pulled the blond into a kiss. While distracting his mouth, he placed a finger near Naruto's entrance and slowly slid it in.

The reaction was instantaneous. Naruto froze up, done reacting to Sasuke's kiss, and Sasuke was half-expecting him to jump away. He immediately pulled the finger out, not wanting to push Naruto too far, and Naruto began to sob.

"I'm so sorry," he said while crying. Sasuke wasn't sure what was going on, but he sincerely hoped it wasn't another mental breakdown. That was the last thing they needed in their life right now.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," he assured him, pulling the blond into a hug. He could feel Little Sasuke shrinking back down a little bit, but this was more important. Naruto turned and buried his head in Sasuke's chest as he sobbed. Sasuke soothingly rubbed circles in his back.

"I thought I was ready," he sobbed. "I-I thought I could handle that. I want the intimacy. I _want_ to take this to the next level." Another sob wracked his body. "But as soon as you put that near my butthole…" he sobbed again. "I just can't do it."

"You don't have to," Sasuke said softly into his ear. "I'll love you even if we don't do this tonight." His statement seemed to cause another sob, and he wondered what he said wrong.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to," Naruto admitted through his crying. Sasuke could feel tears falling down his naked chest. "If I can't do this now, I don't think it'll ever get better." As he broke into another sob, Sasuke realized what that meant. Could he really stay celibate for the rest of his life? For Naruto?

"I'll still love you, even if we never have sex," Sasuke assured him. Naruto froze, and Sasuke knew he didn't believe him. Hell, Sasuke wasn't sure if he was right or not. Well, he knew he'd _love_ Naruto regardless, but whether he could go celibate for the remainder of his life was another story. He didn't even think of the next statement before he said it. "What if you were the one who topped." Naruto sniffed and looked up at Sasuke.

"Y-You don't want to bottom," Naruto said with a sad look on his face and Sasuke realized why he thought that. Back when they were just _pretending_ to go out, Sasuke had made a stink about being the top. That he would never bottom for anyone. He made a similar stink to Suigetsu during their first time together. He'd never bottomed before, and the thought had never even crossed his mind until now. But as he said it, he knew he would do it. For Naruto.

"I would for you," he assured the blond, picking up his hand and placing a small kiss on his knuckles. "We don't have to do this tonight, but just know that when the time comes, you don't need to bottom." He didn't have time to see Naruto's reaction because the blond tackled him to the bed, wrapped in a bear hug. Sasuke's cock began to react once more as it met Naruto's flaccid cock.

"I love you, you know?" Naruto asked. "You're the best boyfriend in the world, and I would never give you up for anything." Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto, willing his cock to stop bouncing. He slowly started to feel Naruto hardening as well, however, and he knew that they weren't going to just cuddle tonight. "I want us to do this tonight," he told Sasuke, and the raven nodded.

Naruto squirted more lube on his fingers than Sasuke had on his own before, wary about preparing him. He'd never prepared anyone for this before. He slowly slid on finger into Sasuke's warm ass, and was surprised at how tight it was. It felt odd to Sasuke, a little uncomfortable, but he knew it would get better after their first time.

When Naruto added the second finger, Sasuke squirmed a bit, inadvertently sliding more of Naruto's fingers inside of him. But when Naruto started to slowly pump his fingers in and out of Sasuke's hole, he found that it wasn't uncomfortable, it was amazing. Naruto began to make a scissoring motion within Sasuke, the walls of Sasuke's asshole expanded with Naruto's fingers and contracted with them as well. By the time Naruto added a third finger, Sasuke was harder than he'd ever been in his life.

After preparing Sasuke, Naruto reached over and took the condom, unrolling it and methodically placing it on his own member. When that was done, Naruto squirted even more lube on the condom, and jerked his cock a few times to apply it consistently. He moved over to Sasuke, who was lying on his back with his legs spread. He placed Sasuke's legs over each shoulder and stood up on his knees, exposing Sasuke's hole to himself.

"Are you sure?" asked Naruto.

"I'm fine," Sasuke responded.

Naruto lined up his cock with Sasuke's hole and began to push. He used his hands to spread Sasuke's cheeks and allow for easier penetration. He was surprised at how tight Sasuke was, and how hard it was to actually enter him. "It's not fitting," Naruto said, astonished. "You're _too_ tight."

"What do you want me to do about it?" Sasuke asked defensively.

"Push out, like you're trying to take a dump," Naruto suggested. Sasuke gave him a look that asked how Naruto knew that. A small blush crossed his features. "I looked some tips up online," he said quietly. Sasuke didn't argue and pushed out, and Naruto felt it was not entirely possible to push in, even if it was a tight fit. After his head was in, the worst was done. Sasuke hissed as each inch was inserted, stretching him to his fullest. It was painful, but he knew/hoped it would get better. After all, there had to be a reason people liked to bottom.

When Naruto was finally balls-deep within Sasuke, he allowed a moment for Sasuke to get adjusted. Sasuke's walls were so tight around his cock that Naruto would be surprised if he lasted five minutes. It was the best feeling he'd ever had, and he was glad that Sasuke had decided that their intimacy was more important than him being the top. Naruto knew Sasuke was ready for more when he felt Sasuke start to push against his cock.

Naruto slowly slid about halfway out and then slowly slid back in. The pace was quite slow for a few seconds until something took over inside Naruto and he began to pick up the pace. Sasuke started to moan in pleasure as Naruto slammed in and out of his tight asshole, the entrance becoming easier every time. The sounds of Naruto's balls slapping Sasuke's ass cheeks mixed with Naruto's panting and Sasuke's moans, and they were soon louder than they had been before.

Naruto reached over to start jerking Sasuke off in rhythm with his own thrusts as he tried thrusting in different angles to find the spot he'd read about. If he wanted Sasuke to have the best first time with him, he'd have to make sure he got the full experience. After a few failed attempts, he finally found Sasuke's prostate with a slam. Sasuke cried out in pleasure, his ass clenching around Naruto's prick.

In all subsequent thrusts, Sasuke would meet Naruto's thrust with equal fervor, the blonde's cock repeatedly hitting his prostate. His cock was leaking, and he was already at the edge.

"Cum for me," Naruto said, and who was Sasuke to say no? Stream after stream of his cum erupted from his cock like volcanic lava. As Naruto jerked it, some landed on Sasuke's face, but most made it onto his chest. As he came, his ass clenched and unclenched around Naruto's cock repeatedly, and Naruto had to stop his thrusts to make sure he didn't cum. He wanted this to go on longer.

When Sasuke's wave of pleasure was over, he was excited to find that Naruto had resumed his thrusting with increased fervor, hitting Sasuke's prostate with more accuracy and more speed. Sasuke was amazed to find his cock already hardening again as Naruto shifted their positions. He let Sasuke's legs fall off his shoulders to his sides as he pulled out. Sasuke was left with a feeling of emptiness as Naruto adjusted them. He wrapped Sasuke's legs around him and leaned over, his bare chest sticking to Sasuke's with cum between them. His cock found Sasuke's entrance and entered him once more.

As Naruto resumed his frenzied thrusting, he caught Sasuke's mouth in his own. Sasuke pressed back onto Naruto's cock in a specific rhythm which made his cock trust onto Naruto's chest every time Naruto pulled out. The thrusting continued, and Naruto found Sasuke's prostate again. Naruto could feel the best orgasm of his life coming, and he was starting to white out from the immense pleasure. He repeatedly hit the prostate multiple times in a row, causing Sasuke to scream out as he came a second time, his seed spilling against his and Naruto's chests.

As Sasuke's ass clenched and unclenched around Naruto's cock again, Naruto came with an even louder scream, his own seed filling the reservoir at the end of the condom. Naruto was afraid it would burst from all the semen, but it held through. He was a little disappointed. Now that it was over, a part of Naruto wanted to have not used the condom. He wanted to mark Sasuke's ass with his seed, but it seemed it would have to wait for another time.

They were quiet for a while, neither moving. They were too tired to move. Eventually, Sasuke's legs dropped limply to the bed and Naruto pulled his softening cock out. He took the condom off and tied it at the top, trapping all the cum inside. He threw it in the general direction of the trash and didn't care whether it made it inside. If it spilled, he'd clean it up tomorrow. He tore his chest from Sasuke's, strings of cum connecting them until they broke. Naruto crawled up so that he and Sasuke both had their heads on the pillow, and wrapped his hand around his boyfriend. Sasuke turned so that their chests were pressed together again, their legs tangled.

"We should clean up," Naruto said with an exhausted tone.

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed. Just because they _should_ clean up doesn't mean they _did_. "I love you."

"I love you too," Naruto said. "You're mine and I'm yours."

**Remember to Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects. Also, follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**.**


	37. Adjusting to Life

**Disclaimer: You'd think after thirty-five chapters, you'd get the picture.**

**Author's Note: I was happy with the overall response from the last chapter (even if I wish there were more than just a few reviews). I have an announcement that I'm going to make in the usual A/N at the end of the chapter, but if you don't typically read that, I urge you to for this chapter. Anyway, I'm just gonna get to the chapter…**

**This chapter was betaed by** SingingSparklyKuma**, and by **Merciless Angels Never Cry**.**

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Adjusting to Life

**THREE MONTHS LATER…**

Sasuke adjusted his shirt, smoothing it down and making sure his pants weren't too low down. He had to make sure he didn't look too disheveled; his mother wouldn't like that. Despite knowing about his relationship with Naruto, she refused to even consider the sexual aspects of such a relationship, nor did she like knowing that "her baby" has sex on a regular basis now. He wondered how she'd react if she knew he once had a casual sex affair with Suigetsu.

The light-haired teen was the first person he saw when he walked into the mansion. He was just coming down the stairs, ready for work. When Sasuke and Itachi had first offered to hire him and Kisame as bartenders while they bounced back, they were both resistant. They'd already done so much, letting the two move into the house; it wouldn't be right to impede. When Suigetsu learned they had another house guest, he took the job to make himself scarce.

Itachi didn't let Sasuke know that he had invited Kisame and Suigetsu to move in. After Suigetsu's engagement with Hinata fell through, they were evicted from their house, and Itachi took them both in. He knew that Sasuke was friends with Suigetsu, so there wasn't much of a chance of Sasuke rejecting them. Unfortunately, since Itachi didn't tell Sasuke of his intentions, Sasuke thought they had one more spare bedroom than they already had. After her father kicked her out of the house for refusing to marry Suigetsu, Sasuke offered Hinata the room to stay until something else could be worked out.

They were now one big, not-so-happy family. Mikoto was initially resistant to the influx of people, but she was easy to appease on that issue. More people around the house meant more people to help her as she adjusted. There was still so much she couldn't do after being out of commission for so long. She was finally getting able to walk around on her own. If she used a cane, no one had to be around to make sure she didn't fall.

Kakashi was also accepting, mostly because he didn't really care about the others. Kisame and Itachi didn't really have much of a problem with the arrangement either. No, the only people who had a problem with the living situation were Suigetsu and Hinata, for understandable reasons. They just broke off their engagement, and now they were living under the same roof. Life's funny like that, huh?

"Your mom's mad at you again," Suigetsu said as Sasuke gingerly closed the door. It was 12:30 in the afternoon, and he had spent last night at Naruto's dorm, "having fun." He rolled his eyes. Of course his mom was mad. Any time he spent away from the house that didn't directly involve school was time he should have spent with her. He understood that she felt there was a lot of lost time to make up for – and he agreed – but he couldn't just give up his friends and relationship. He'd already moved back into the house when she came home. That was a huge chunk of time that he had set aside for her.

"You didn't close the door?" Sasuke asked with an annoyed frown. Since Kisame, Kakashi, and Hinata all had their own spare bedrooms, it fell upon Sasuke to accept Suigetsu in his room. It was a little weird at first, but there was enough room. Suigetsu didn't need a desk now that he wasn't a student at Konoha University anymore, so they only really needed to put in a bed. There was more than enough closet space for the two of them, even if Suigetsu was constantly wearing Sasuke's clothing.

After Mikoto started making a big deal about Sasuke sleeping over at Naruto's frequently, Sasuke and Suigetsu made an arrangement that their door always stays closed. She would never know when Sasuke was sleeping in the room or out at Naruto's. And he was able to convince her that unexpectedly going into the room of a teenager was probably a bad option. Still, she always managed to find out that he was gone, and she always ended up lecturing him. Sometimes he would argue back, and they would end up in a row.

Today was one of those days. Sasuke entered the kitchen and saw his mom sitting down with Kakashi, mugs of coffee in front of them. Sasuke noticed that the coffee machine was still on, so he walked over to pour himself a cup. He nodded a greeting to both, hoping that would be the extent of what they had to say to him.

"You weren't in your room this morning," Mikoto commented as she took a sip of her coffee. Sasuke scowled – not facing her – as he poured himself coffee. He cleared his face of expression before turning back around.

"I was at Naruto's," he said simply, as if that explained everything. If it was anyone other than his mother, it would have.

"You know I don't like you sleeping over at his place," Mikoto commented. "It's inappropriate for someone your age." Kakashi took the opportunity to intervene; he tried to talk Mikoto down whenever she got like this.

"Sasuke's an adult," he told her. "He's allowed to sleep wherever he wants." She gave him a glare, not appreciating his intervening.

"There's no need to jump into bed with him," Mikoto commented. "Your father and I waited until we were married to have sex."

"Naruto and I can't get married," Sasuke said curtly. "We're in a committed relationship, though, and sex is a part of that. Besides, I did not _jump_ into bed with him. We were together for months before we took it to that level."

"You're still not ready," she insisted as Suigetsu walked in. Every time he, Suigetsu, and his mother were in the same room, he wondered how she'd react if she knew that he used to fuck the guy who sleeps in his room. That door would probably be closed a lot less often, at her insistence.

"I'm not five years old anymore, Mom!" Sasuke exclaimed loudly. Some might even call it yelling. He didn't like when he got angry with his mother, but she often seemed to forget that it had been fourteen years since the accident, and he was now an adult. She didn't like to think that he was capable of making his own decisions and being an independent adult. She had the same problem with Itachi, but to a lesser extent. With an angry look, he took his coffee and left the room, choosing to go upstairs and work on a paper for his class.

A few minutes later, Kakashi knocked on his door and Sasuke allowed him to enter. He was relieved that Kakashi hadn't brought Mikoto, but knew he was in for a lecture.

"You shouldn't yell at your mother," he said in a calm tone of voice. "She might be a little…misguided…but she still loves you, and her intentions are pure."

"When is she going to stop treating me like a baby?" Sasuke asked resentfully. He wanted desperately for him and his mother to get along well, but it seemed like every time they interacted, something went wrong.

When Sasuke was watching TV, she would chide him, telling him to do his homework. When he wanted to go out and grab dinner with his friends, she told him that she was cooking that night, and he had to stay to have dinner with the family. When he invited Naruto over, the door to his bedroom had to remain open, and they would be third-wheeled by someone. It was a different person depending on who she asked to do it.

"You are her baby, though," Kakashi told him. "She doesn't know who you are now. All she sees when she looks at you is how you were when you were five. I know it's not right and it's not fair," he added at Sasuke's look, "but that's how it is. And don't forget that she lost her baby. I personally believe that left her with a severe longing to protect you and Itachi, and everything she does is meant to protect you and keep you close."

"I'm an adult," Sasuke said adamantly. "If she doesn't get that through her head, then I'm moving back into the dorms next semester. I can't live under the same roof as her if she insists on treating me like a kid."

"Instead of fighting her at every step and turn, why don't you do something to fix the situation?" Kakashi asked him. He gave Kakashi a confused look. "She doesn't know who you are at seventeen. Why don't you spend some time together, figuring out what you have in common? She'll learn who you are, and you'll be more of a peer in her eyes than a child." Sasuke considered that for a moment and agreed inwardly that it was a good idea. There had to be something they had in common.

He walked down the stairs a few minutes later to apologize and talk to her. They would never develop a healthy relationship if they kept fighting; Sasuke knew that. She was accepting of his apology, even if she didn't apologize for treating him like a child. _'One step at a time,'_ he reminded himself.

"We should do something together," he suggested. "You know, get to know each other better?"

"That's a wonderful idea," she said, a bright smile illuminating her face. Sasuke wished he saw her smile like that more often. "Do you like music?"

"Yeah," he said easily enough. He liked almost all types of music, so there had to be something they could both relate to. "Do you want to go to a concert some time?"

"I'd love to!" she said happily. "How about Whitney Houston?" Suigetsu snorted from the corner, but both he and his mother ignored him.

"She's…uh…dead," Sasuke said awkwardly. Mikoto's face fell.

"Oh," she said. "How about Michael Jackson, or Aaliyah?" Suigetsu almost roared in laughter. Sasuke took a deep breath before speaking up again.

"They're dead too," he informed her.

"Oh," she said again. "Why don't you decide?" she asked. It seemed like the best option. After listening to and rejecting songs from Green Day, Maroon 5, fun., and Coldplay, they finally decided that a Muse concert would be the best choice. Unfortunately for them, Muse was touring in Europe for the foreseeable future.

"Why don't we just go see a movie?" Sasuke suggested.

It was a disaster.

After arguing about whether or not it was appropriate for them to see a Rated R movie together, Mikoto insisted on dragging him into some Halloween cartoon movie that was rated G. Yeah…a _G_ rated movie. Because she was sure that the brief nudity in the PG-13 movie was too much for Sasuke to handle.

Whatever, he conceded. He didn't have the heart to just give up and bring them back home. So when he started to text Naruto halfway through the movie, bored out of his mind, Mikoto glared at him, announcing how rude it was. He put his phone away. It wasn't worth the fight. When he kept looking at the time on his phone throughout the movie, Mikoto got more and more annoyed before finally walking out.

"That was incredibly rude," she said when they left the theater. "I didn't pay for you to sit in a theater on your phone the whole time." Sasuke didn't point out that he was going to pay for them before she insisted on paying. Nor did he point out that Frankenweenie was the _last_ movie he'd ever want to see in the history of the universe. Instead, he put up with the rant she gave the entire ride home.

When they got home, he retreated up to his room without a word to Kakashi, Hinata, Kisame, or Itachi, slamming the door to his room.

Kakashi's next idea was to go to the zoo. Sasuke was still incredibly mad, but Kakashi somehow managed to convince him that it was a good idea. So when he proposed the idea to his mother, after assuring her that he wouldn't be so rude when they went out, she accepted.

Apparently, "zoo" to her meant "petting zoo." Mikoto stood with the other parents as Sasuke walked into the pen of animals. He was the oldest amongst the people petting animals. The one closest to his age was ten years old, and even he looked bored by it. There were some people in their twenties, thirties, and even forties in the pen – but they were all holding small children, helping pet the animals. And Mikoto insisted on taking photos of Sasuke and the animals.

When he didn't smile, she got upset again, and again, the day ended with Sasuke slamming the door to his room. He'd wasted his Saturday at a baby's movie, and his Sunday at the petting zoo. After his weekend, his class was a welcome distraction from his family. After class was over, he made sure to spend some time with Naruto at his dorm room. Until he got a call from the mansion. Kakashi gave him the message that Mikoto wanted him home for dinner.

He was silent the entire meal, ignoring everyone else's questions and conversations. Everyone noticed but no one commented. It was impossible for them to ignore the yelling that had gone on in recent months. Mikoto would treat Sasuke like a child and Sasuke would blow up at her. It was happening over and over again, and at this point, no one even acknowledged it. It was so normal that it was ignored.

It was Itachi who talked to him that night.

"I understand where you're coming from," he assured Sasuke. "I really do."

"I just wish she would understand that I'm an adult. I can vote, I can own a bar, I can have sex with anyone and everyone I want. I can see R-rated movies, and stay up past midnight. I can drive, I can enlist in the military, I can go to a regular fucking zoo without being in mortal danger."

"I know that," Itachi commented when Sasuke was finished.

"_She_ doesn't," Sasuke said angrily.

"Of course she does," Itachi said. "She knows you're an adult, but she doesn't accept it." Sasuke was quiet, waiting for Itachi to continue. When the older Uchiha brother realized he wasn't going to be interrupted or spoken over, he continued. "She's depressed, don't you see it? She lost her husband and her unborn son, and the next thing she knows, everyone's moved on. We're adults attending college where we were both kids barely able to understand what death _was_. Even small things contribute, like learning about how the world has changed.

"We're all acting like this is a great blessing, but for her, this is a double-edged sword. She gets more time with us, and she still has life, but look at the cost. She lost half of her family, and she doesn't even know us anymore. The only thing that seems relatively constant is Kakashi. She copes with this change by acting like everything is as it was, but we both know it can't be like that.

"She's gotten all the medical help she needed to tend to her health. She's had physical therapy, treatments to get over all the issues she faced after a twelve yearlong coma, and she has all the best doctors on call if she needs anything. But it's not enough. She's getting the physical help she needs, but more than that, she needs help on her mental being." He was quiet for a moment. "Maybe we should convince her to see your therapist."

"He's not my therapist," Sasuke said, but inwardly agreed that she could benefit from seeing Dr. Kishimoto. He'd only met the guy twice, and neither visit was productive at all, but he helped Naruto a lot, and Sasuke could see he had a mostly positive track record with patients. He wouldn't go back to seeing him, but it wouldn't hurt his mother to visit him.

* * *

"Kiba's boyfriend's here!" Hana yelled out to her parents in a singsong voice.

"Shut up!" Kiba replied embarrassingly. Ever since his parents found out about his relationship with Gaara, they'd insisted on meeting him. He always managed to avoid having them meet him by picking Gaara up and staying away from home when they were together. Unfortunately, today was the day when Gaara insisted on picking Kiba up, and Kiba couldn't tell him that he just didn't want him to meet his parents. He wouldn't understand.

With his sister's announcement, Kiba's parents left the kitchen and came into the living room near where the front door was. It was his mother who opened the door.

"This must be the Gaara we've heard so much about," she said with a toothy grin as she opened up the door. Gaara looked a little shocked to see someone other than Kiba answered the door, but he covered it up quickly. He held out a hand for a handshake.

"Hello, Mrs. Inuzu–" he began before she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. His feet lifted off the ground, and he made an "oomph" sound as she squeezed him.

"That's not how we say hi in this family," she said loudly as she crushed his spine. She finally let him down after a moment. "And even if we've just met, you've been with Kiba almost six months. You're family."

"Th-Thank you," Gaara said, giving Kiba an unsure look. Kiba returned with a look of apology. Luckily, his father wasn't nearly as bad as his mother.

"Forgive Tsume, son," he said, extending his arm. "She gets very excited by things like this." Gaara accepted his handshake, and was grateful that Kiba's father seemed to be much more normal than his mother. "Unfortunately, I have to get going. I wish I could stay longer." With that, Kiba's father excused himself, and Gaara and Kiba were left alone with the two weird Inuzukas.

Before anyone had time to react, Kiba grabbed Gaara's arm and began to lead him back out the door. "Well, it's been great, but we should get going too."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Tsume practically roared, grabbing the collar of Kiba's shirt and pulling him back into the house. When he and Gaara relented, she slammed the door shut behind them. "I was just cooking dinner. You're welcome to join us, Gaara."

"We actually have reservations at a restaurant already, but thank you for the gracious offer," Gaara said with a polite bow of his head.

"Oh, that's fine," Tsume said, her tone changing completely. Kiba knew just what was coming. "I just figured after spending all day cooking a meal, my son's boyfriend would appreciate a family dinner instead of leaving for restaurant food. Is it because you're afraid of my cooking, or do you just not want to get to know the family?"

Her manipulative guilt trip worked like a charm, despite Kiba insisting she hadn't known Gaara was coming and she hadn't been home more than an hour to cook. Gaara knew that there was no right answer to her question, so he had to relent. And now, instead of a nice romantic date with his boyfriend, Kiba got a family dinner.

After the food was placed on the table, the interrogation began.

"So, how long did you wait before having sex?" Tsume asked. Kiba spit out his drink all over the table, naturally.

"Mom!" he yelled, a red flush covering his cheeks. "You can't just ask him that!"

"So you don't deny having sex?" she followed-up in a chiding tone. "You two are–"

"We're consenting adults!" Kiba argued, trying to figure out a way out of this dinner.

"Fine," she conceded. The room was quiet while everyone loaded their plates with meat, potatoes and vegetables. When she finally finished loading her plate, Tsume spoke up again. "Do you at least use protection?"

"_MOM_!" Kiba shouted. "If you ask us any more personal questions about our relationship like that, we're out of here.

"Fine," she conceded once more. It was more important to her that the question was raised than answered. Another brief silence ensued, in which the clank of silverware against plates was all that could be heard. "So what are you studying, Gaara?"

"I'm pre-med," he informed her after he finished swallowing his food. Gaara already understood that if he did anything even the slightest bit questionable – like talking with his mouth full – Tsume would have another go at him.

"Oh, Kiba's studying to become a vet," she said, happy that her son could end up with a doctor. She always urged Hana to marry a doctor.

"I know," Gaara said graciously. "We've spoken about it a few times."

"So, any other plans for the future?" Tsume asked. "What med school do you plan on attending?"

"I haven't decided yet," Gaara admitted. "Kiba and I are already in our second semester of college. We have time before looking for med schools and vet schools."

"So you plan on staying close together, then?" she asked.

"Of course," Gaara said as Kiba's fingers intertwined with his. "I have no intention of being in a long-distance relationship with him when we can stay close together." Tsume frowned at the way it looked like Kiba had his hands near Gaara under the table.

"Watch your hands, Kiba," Tsume chided. "I don't want to worry about what it's doing under the table so close to your boyfriend."

"That's it, we're done," Kiba said, standing up and pulling Gaara up with him. "I'm tired of you doing this, Mom. If you can't behave nicely in front of him, then we're not going to eat here anymore." Thankfully, Gaara allowed Kiba to do the talking to his mother. He didn't wait for her to respond before he turned to leave, pulling Gaara along. When they were alone outside the house, Gaara pushed Kiba against the wall next to the door and caught his lips in a deep kiss.

His tongue played with Kiba's as he pressed the slightly-taller boy against the front of the house. Kiba moaned his surprise, but didn't protest. After Gaara pulled away, Kiba smirked.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"For not making me sit through that," Gaara admitted. "Your mother is…"

"A bitch?" Kiba asked.

"…hardcore," Gaara supplemented with a smirk. They walked together towards Gaara's car, and Kiba profusely apologized all the way to the dorm room. "Kiba, shut up about it or we're not fucking tonight," he threatened. "I'm horny, and the last thing I want to think about is your mother." Luckily, Kiba obliged.

As soon as the door opened, their lips were attached. As soon as it was closed, their clothes were off. And as soon as Kiba entered Gaara, the phone rang.

"It's my mother," Kiba said, looking at the Caller ID. Gaara sincerely hoped that Kiba wouldn't answer. The last thing he needed was for the brunet to talk to his mother while _inside_ him. And the last thing Kiba wanted was to grow soft. "I'll call her back tomorrow," Kiba said with a grin, throwing the phone over his shoulder.

He withdrew from Gaara almost all the way before slamming back into him. He stayed at a very slow rhythm, choosing to thrust hard and deep instead of fast. He felt the familiar feeling of his cock brushing against Gaara's prostate, because the redhead shivered and groaned beneath him. He leaned over and nipped at Gaara's chest as he continued his slow, deep thrusts, hitting that bundle of nerves every time with dead-on precision. Gaara's legs wrapped tighter around his midsection.

Kiba reached out and let his fingernail lightly graze the bottom of Gaara's erect cock. "Do you want me?" Kiba asked, playing coy. Gaara glared at him and growled, but Kiba only thrust again – hitting his prostate, of course – and Gaara closed his eyes in pleasure. Kiba grinned and gripped his cock in his hands, beginning to slowly stroke it to the rhythm of his trusts.

"_Faster_, you asshole!" Gaara growled out.

"There's only one asshole here," Kiba replied, giving another slow thrust to emphasize his point. "Well, technically there are two, but only one is of consequence right now." Kiba didn't think Gaara had it in him, but he managed to catch Kiba off guard and switch their positions. Instead of Kiba pounding into Gaara, who was lying flat on his back with his legs around the brunet, Kiba was now lying down on the bed with Gaara's asshole still sheathing his cock.

Gaara, using some sort of sorcery, began slamming down on Kiba's cock in a rhythm that probably broke speed barriers. Kiba would have objected if it didn't feel like his balls were about to explode any second. Instead of insisting on a slow pace, he began thrusting up to match Gaara's own movements.

It wasn't very long before they both came together, Kiba's cock filling Gaara's asshole with his salty seed while Gaara spilled his own all over Kiba's chest. Gaara quite literally rode out his orgasm, as did Kiba, but they were soon lying on each other, the familiar feel of sticky cum between their chests. Kiba's orgasm had been so strong that some of his seed was already starting to spill out of Gaara's gaping hole.

Despite always liking to be clean, Gaara faced the usual predicament of staying in bed with Kiba or getting up and getting clean. He picked the usual solution, and stroked Kiba's soft hair as he made himself more comfortable.

"That was…wow," Kiba said between breaths. Even though it wasn't their longest session by a long shot, it was definitely the most satisfying by far. Gaara moved his fingers from the brunet's locks and began to lightly draw circles on Kiba's chest with his nails.

"I lied to your mom," Gaara admitted after a moment. When Kiba looked to him with a confused look, he elaborated. "I already picked out a med school, Ithica School of Medicine, in New York." He still saw confusion in Kiba's eyes. "It's not the best med school in the country, but its near the Cornell vet school – best in the world."

Kiba wasn't sure if he was so in love with Gaara because he had planned out a future for them together, or if it was because he cared more about the caliber of Kiba's school over his own. Either way, he'd never loved Gaara more than in that moment. "You're so perfect," Kiba said in awe as he reached out a hand to touch Gaara's cheek. "Sometimes I think I'm dreaming. And I don't want to wake up."

"If this is a dream, I won't let you wake up," Gaara said with a smile, leaning down to kiss Kiba. Unlike the previous lusty kisses they'd had that day, this one was sweet, and filled with love. And like their love, it didn't seem to want to end.

* * *

When Ino saw Shikamaru sitting at a computer in the university library, she made a beeline to him, deciding to ignore the fact that she had a paper due on Tuesday that needed to be started. She placed her bags down next to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Whatcha doing?" she asked, bouncing into the seat next to him.

"I'm looking for someplace to live off-campus for cheap," Shikamaru told her. "I don't want to be stuck here anymore, but I don't want to pay too much or live too far from campus."

"What's wrong with the dorms?" she asked.

"I'm not a 'roommate' person," Shikamaru told her. "If my roommate was in the room any time except to sleep, we'd have major issues."

"You two have major issues anyway," Ino said with a smirk. "And you still refuse to use a hamper."

"It's too much work," Shikamaru muttered, causing Ino to roll her eyes. What an absolutely Shikamaru thing to say. It's too much work to put away dirty laundry. Sometimes, she wondered how he even managed to get laundry done. He's the kind of guy she'd expect to re-wear shirts inside out before putting them in the laundry.

Ino didn't comment, but decided to look over his shoulder at the listings. Shikamaru clicked one, but it was obvious from the pictures that it was an even bigger pig sty than Shikamaru's dorm room. He looked through a few more that were all bad choices. One was way too expensive, another had only half a bathroom. One was too far from campus, and the next was a studio with a kitchen and the toilet and shower in the corner. He let the mouse hover over the price, but Ino wasn't having it.

"No," she told him. "If you're getting a place, you're getting a _full_ apartment. There isn't even a wall between the 'bathroom' and the rest of the room." She said 'bathroom' using air quotes.

"I'm not going to have roommates," Shikamaru objected. "Who's going to look at me?" Ino gave him a look. "If we get to the point where you're sleeping over regularly, I'm sure you'll have seen my junk by then."

"That's not the point!" Ino growled, frustrated. Even though she didn't actually give a reason, he acquiesced and moved on to the next one. It was a beautiful two-bedroom apartment with nice carpeting, a full kitchen, sitting room, and dining room, along with a bathroom with one of the nicest showers/bathtubs she'd ever seen. And that was something, considering she'd been to the Uchiha, Hoshigaki, and Hyuga mansions. The price wasn't even all that bad. Shikamaru still clicked the back button on the browser.

"What was wrong with that?" she asked, shocked that he was so quick to dismiss it.

"It has two bedrooms, and it's too expensive," he said with a shrug.

"So?" she asked. "Get a roommate! That's an awesome place."

"Didn't you listen when I told you _why_ I'm looking?" Shikamaru asked. Oh right, that thing about 'not being a roommate person.' What a crappy reason to give up such a great apartment at such a great price.

"What if _I_ move in with you?" she asked him, earning a questioning look from him. "Not like _that_!" she objected. Even though they'd been dating for a few months, they'd never gotten past second base. Even though she was sure by next semester they'd have crossed that line and they'd have a libido to rival Kiba and Gaara, and even Naruto and Sasuke, it didn't matter. There were two rooms. They could each have their own stuff and then spend the night in each other's room – or not. If they didn't want to do anything on a specific night, they could go back to their separate bedrooms. It was a great plan!

And the rent was cheap too! She'd definitely save on dorming by moving into an apartment. She was sure her father wouldn't like it, but he wouldn't matter much as long as he saved on money. Besides, she was planning on getting a job anyway. Every second it seemed more and more like the perfect plan.

"I'm sure that once you live with me, it'll be a few weeks before our relationship is over," Shikamaru commented. "I'm very hard to live with. Just ask my roommate. Or my father."

"Stop being stupid," Ino chided him. "I've had to live with Naruto for years. When we were moving his stuff out of our house, I found a half-eaten container of instant ramen from 2009." Shikamaru's eyes widened and then his face contorted in disgust. "As long as you keep the common rooms neat, it's not going to be a problem. I promise I won't even bitch if you leave your clothes all over your bedroom floor," she lied.

After a moment of consideration, he shrugged. "Eh, why not?" he said, clicking the e-mail icon. He sent a small brief e-mail with his phone number and financial situation, saying that he and his girlfriend wanted to rent the apartment out. As soon as he clicked send, he swiveled his chair around.

"And now we wait," Ino said.

But she was never good at waiting. Which is how she ended up back in her and Sakura's dorm room – which was thankfully Sakura-free – pressing Shikamaru up against the door with a kiss. When they'd first started to get far, she could tell that he was very nervous about it. He didn't know what to do. She felt his hands twitch, and realized that he didn't know what to do with them.

She grabbed his hands and slowly moved them up to her breasts, giving him her permission to go further. It seemed that despite being in a relationship with Temari, he was pretty socially retarded when it came to relationships. Ever since then, however, Shikamaru had no hesitation to some petting and groping. And neither did she.

Still, they'd never moved below the waist before. Ino was starting to wonder if today was _the_ day, until she heard Shikamaru's phone bing, confirming he had an e-mail. She was the one to pull away, hoping it was from the person who owned the apartment, and she was right.

"We can go see it tomorrow after 3," he said.

"Good," Ino said with a smirk, closing the gap between them again. "You know, I'm kind of excited to move in with you."

"Yeah," was Shikamaru's response before his lips were captured once more.

And, as it turned out, today was _the_ day.

* * *

After giving Sasuke a pep talk about his relationship with their mother, he left the room to allow Sasuke to think about the situation. He had other concerns now – mainly the bar. Even though Mangekyo was owned by Sasuke and Itachi equally, they had agreed that he'd handle any issues there. Neither wanted Sasuke in much contact with alcohol or the bar.

They had a problem with the staff. After Madara died, only two bartenders worked there – Danzo and Zabuza. Zabuza quit, however, which meant they needed to either limit the hours or hire new workers. It worked out that he was able to hire Suigetsu and Kisame, who lightened Danzo's load. Itachi had also begun working on buying the small store next to the bar so that they could knock down the walls and expand the bar.

With that, however, they would need even more workers. Suigetsu, Kisame, and Danzo were able to handle the clientele that they had now, but if they expanded, they would need more people to work.

In addition to staffing issues, Itachi had begun wondering if they should rename the bar and give it a makeover. Mangekyo had and would continue to remind both Uchihas of Madara, which was ill-advised. It was a much better idea to change things around. He was considering naming the bar _Obito_ for his lost cousin and brother, or possibly _Sharingan_ after the drug that returned his mother to him.

He closed the door to his room and walked over to his desk, where papers and files regarding the income of the bar and the expenses it cost were strewn all over. He had been looking over numbers with his lawyer the last few weeks as well, making sure that in case of an IRS audit, the books were A-okay. The last thing they needed was to find out that Madara had been laundering money or having business dealings with some mob organization.

While the books didn't exactly add up as Itachi or his lawyer would have liked, there was nothing illegal, at least not on the surface. With a man like Madara who knew how the business went, there may have been some hidden dealings. As long as the IRS couldn't trace it, however, it was good enough for Itachi.

He was currently working on renovating Madara's upstairs apartment above the bar into an office where he could work on issues such as this. He was already spreading himself so far thin between school, family, and the bar, but he felt he needed to run it. If not for Madara, then for their family. While they were rich beyond imagining, they could use an income so that they don't blow through all their money. An income was always a good thing to be had.

Itachi had even spoken to his lawyer about starting up a chain of bars. It was a slow plan, and Itachi didn't feel much like spreading himself even further thin, but he was in the last semester of his penultimate year at college. Soon, he could use his business degree to start up a company. With more free time, he could open another bar on the other side of town, and even start thinking of expanding into Suna or Kumo.

But those were just ideas now. The only thing that was absolute was Mangekyo, which was still turning a nice profit. He would ask around the university to see if people needed jobs. He could use two or three part-time workers if he wanted to expand the bar itself, and there were always people on college campuses who needed jobs.

As he sat down to sort through the papers on his desk and reorganize them, his phone rang. He pulled it out and saw a number with a faraway area code that he didn't recognize. After a moment's hesitation, he answered. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Uchiha Itachi?" asked a man's voice on the other side.

"Speaking," Itachi informed him. "Who is this?"

"I'm detective Greg Spence with the NYPD," was the reply. Itachi recognized the name and sat up straighter in his chair. "I was the detective responsible of the case against Senju Hashirama for a slew of crimes, including kidnapping and a host of international human testing laws. I'm calling to update you about what happened in court."

"The trial began already?" Itachi asked, a little shocked. Usually cases like these took years to build and months to try. Was it over already?

"It began and ended," Detective Spence informed him. "For some reason, despite having a large amount of evidence, the District Attorney threw out the case against him." Itachi was speechless. How could the man who detained and performed experimental procedures on his mother for years be free after all the evidence against him? Where was her justice? "I'm sorry to be the bearer or bad news, but I figured you had a right to know."

Itachi didn't answer. He made no reply, in fact, except to hang up and slowly place the phone on his desk. He turned his chair from the mess on his desk to his computer, which was still on from a few hours ago. He woke it by shaking the mouse and then immediately went on the internet. He pulled up craigslist and typed into the search engine.

Why would a district attorney throw out an easy case against such an awful man? There were no logical explanations. Well, there was one that stuck out to Itachi, but he hoped against hope that it wasn't true. Then again, what other reason would a DA have to jeopardize his case?

With Hashirama's arrest, his mob associates were probably worried about him spilling the beans to the authorities. They probably got the DA to drop the charges, whether it was through blackmail or bribery, Itachi didn't know. But the one thing he knew for sure was that something had to make the DA throw away this case, and it probably involved the mob.

The results of his search came up on the screen. An hour later, he was meeting a private investigator at Mangekyo, sitting in the back of the bar with sunglasses and a hat, trying to avoid being seen.

The man sitting in front of him was a top-notch private investigator. After finding him on craigslist, Itachi did some research and found that he ran one of the best PI offices in the area, and the money wasn't much of an issue at all. Besides, Itachi would need a good PI if he wanted good results.

"Tenzo Yamato," the man said with a nod as he sat down.

"You know who I am," Itachi said in a quiet voice. Yamato gave him a smile.

"I do my research about my clients, Mr. Uchiha," Yamato conceded. "It's a nice bar you have here. I hope it doesn't remind you too much of your Uncle Madara's suicide." Itachi wasn't surprised. The story was big a few months ago on the news, and if Yamato had done any research on him at all, his relationship to Madara, Mikoto, and Fugaku were well-noted.

"There's a case in the NYPD judicial system that was dropped," Itachi began.

"Against Senju Hashirama," Yamato replied. Itachi was a little more surprised this time, but realized that after everyone found out about Mikoto, there were some people with an eye on events in the NYPD. If Yamato read about her in his research, then he also read about Hashirama, and knew all about the case. "You want me to find out why the charges were dropped."

"I believe it has something to do with the mob," Itachi speculated. "At the compound in which she was being kept, there was a mob organization being run. The leader supposedly goes by the name 'Tobi.' It used to be run by Uchiha Madara before his death."

"I'll find out why the charges were dropped," Yamato promised. "You know my rate?"

"If you did your research, you'd know that isn't a problem for me," Itachi said coyly.

"Fair enough," Yamato said with a nod. He looked around at the bar. "It seems this wasn't Uchiha Madara's only legacy, was it?" With those all too true words, Tenzo Yamato stood and left Itachi to contemplate some of Madara's other legacies.

**Author's Note: Sorry for the huge wait. As my followers on Twitter know, I lost my electricity during Hurricane Sandy, so I wasn't able to write any more of the story. I finally got power back late-Monday (the fifth), but then my power went out again on the seventh after the snowstorm hit. It's like it never ends.**

**Just going to plug some stories now. My series of lemony one-shots **Konoha High Trysts** is finished. I also began the rewrite of **Life Moves On**, entitled "**Life Moves On: Back to Life**" The story essentially starts out with Naruto living in Suna, with everyone in Konoha thinking he's dead. When Tsunade gets him to come back, he ends up face-to-face with his fiancé Sasuke Uchiha, who is now married with kids. The series will feature many long stories at various points in their lives (including prequel stories when they're teenagers).**

**Remember to Review and check out my blog at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . com **for updates, chapter previews, and information about past, present, and future projects.**


	38. The More Things Change

**Disclaimer: I didn't own Naruto last week, and as far as I know, I still don't own Naruto this week. There's always next week, though…**

**Author's Note: I'm not going to go on a lengthy rant before the chapter. I just want to plug my other stories. First is **Konoha High Trysts**, a series of HS AU one-shots that are all yaoi. It is now complete. Next up is **Life Moves On: Back to Life**, the remake of my previous multi-chap fic, which currently has a prologue and three chapters. It would mean so much if you'd check those out and review them.**

**This chapter was betaed by **Merciless Angels Never Cry**.**

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

Suigetsu looked over the back of the cereal box, engrossed by the cartoony games they had. In the background, he heard Sasuke and Mikoto argue as the raven tried to get his mother to let him drive her to the psychiatrist's office.

"I'm very capable of driving, mother," Sasuke said, trying to keep the contempt out of his voice.

"I'm sure you are, Sasuke," Mikoto assured him. "But I'd just feel better if I drove. You can have shotgun," she added, as if that was going to get him to acquiesce.

"If you're going to drive, then I don't need to go," he reasoned.

"You know I need you to direct me to the office," she told him.

"Then let me drive! It'll make things so much easier!"

Suigetsu couldn't take the arguing anymore. He put the box down on the table and turned to the two bickering Uchihas. "Sasuke's the most careful driver I've ever met," Suigetsu told Mikoto, knowing that Sasuke was right. It was easier for him to drive if he was the only one who knew where they were going. "He drives like my grandmother."

Mikoto didn't seem to like being ganged up on, but she accepted anyway. If Suigetsu was vouching for Sasuke, then she didn't really have a leg to stand on. Besides, how bad could it really be?

Suigetsu was just grateful when they left. As much as he was grateful to Sasuke and Itachi for taking him and his brother in, Suigetsu was uncomfortable with how full the house seemed. Kakashi wasn't here all that often, so he wasn't really a contributing factor to his discomfort, but the fact that his ex-fiancé/baby momma moved in here as well was just a bit too awkward for his tastes.

As if summoned by his thoughts, Hinata chose that moment to enter the room. She was wearing a sky-blue nightgown, and she immediately made her way towards the fridge. She poured herself a glass of orange juice before moving over to the table.

"I thought they'd never leave," she said. Suigetsu figured she was talking more to herself than she was to him. She laid five or six pills on the table as she began to take her medication one at a time. She still had a lot of pre-natal vitamins and other pregnancy-things left over from when Hiashi was taking care of her medical bills. A part of him wondered how that would work when the pills ran out.

Suigetsu turned the page of the newspaper's local section. He'd already finished the depressing section on the world, and he hoped that reading a little more about Konoha would keep his minds off some of his troubles.

"You're up early," she commented. Not many people could call 11:30 am early, but considering Suigetsu had worked the late-night shift last night, he'd only had a few hours of restless sleep.

"I can't sleep well these days," he commented, turning the page. Every time he went to sleep in the comfortable bed in Sasuke's bedroom, he was reminded that he wasn't sleeping in his room in the dorms anymore. And he wasn't sleeping in his room in the dorms anymore because he couldn't afford to go to school anymore. And he couldn't afford to go to school anymore because Hinata broke off his engagement.

He couldn't help but resent her for that. He might not be Prince Charming, but he was the solution to her problems, as she was the solution to his. If she hadn't broken off the engagement, they would have lived in the lap of luxury at the Hyuga Mansion. They'd both be attending school, and they'd both have money. Instead, he was mooching off his best friend, as was she, and his wage at the bar could only pay towards the food shopping.

Part of the conditions he set for himself, knowing that there wasn't an end to his stay at the mansion in the near future, was that he would contribute his fair share of money towards grocery shopping, as well as paying a meager rent. He did what he could, putting in some extra hours at Mangekyo that he didn't record so that Itachi and Sasuke didn't have to pay him overtime. He tried to be the best employee, housemate, and roommate that anyone could ask for, but it was hard. He'd never felt so drained.

He hated almost everyone these days. His brother, who had invested all their money in the stock market and caused the mess. Hiashi, who bought up their house to blackmail them and then kicked them out when Suigetsu couldn't live up to the blackmail. Hinata, who broke off their engagement and thrust them all into the abyss of poverty. Sasuke and Itachi were the only ones who he came out of this ordeal respecting and liking more than he had beforehand.

As much as he resented Hinata, however, a big part of him was still hung up on her. He'd spent so much time envisioning a future together, growing close out of mutual dislike of her father, and allowed himself to get attached. He'd pictured their family together – not just one kid born out of a drunken mistake, but many kids, born out of love. He allowed himself to grow attached, and she spent months stringing him along when in the end, she stopped his visions from coming true.

"Suigetsu, we need to talk," Hinata finally said after a few minutes of silence.

"Unless it's about the baby, I don't have anything to say," Suigetsu said dismissively as he continued to scan the page. He sometimes looked at the classifieds, hoping against hope there would be an affordable apartment to move into and not have to deal with all the drama anymore.

"It _is_ about the baby," Hinata replied, earning his full attention. He set the paper aside. "I know you're trying really hard to earn a living, but I need money too. If we're going to make sure that our child is healthy, I need to see a good ob/gyn. I'm not making any income, and you have an equal responsibility to the child as I do."

"I don't have any money to give you, or I would," Suigetsu said defensively. "You know I would. But after I pay what I can for room and board here, I really don't have anything left except gas money to get to work."

"Sasuke and Itachi never asked for room and board," Hinata told him.

"I'm not a freeloader," he said, sounding offended. "I'll give what I can to them for what they're doing for me. And for our child."

"Then I don't know what to do," Hinata admitted. "I don't have the money to take care of our child, and if you insist on paying them back when they don't ask, then you won't have anything left to support the baby either."

"You should look into welfare," Suigetsu suggested, immediately taking note of her horrified look. Going from filthy rich to welfare in a few months must be a hard adjustment, but if neither of them could provide for the baby, then it was a necessary one. Suigetsu was about to talk more when the doorbell rang. Hinata moved to open the door, but Suigetsu held a hand out. "I'll get it. Sit down and eat breakfast."

She complied, and he left the room to see who was knocking on their door. When the threw open the door expecting to see a UPS man or something, he was surprised to be looking at a rather dapper member of the Hyuga Corp. "Hello," he said amiably. He'd remembered his face from the New Year's Eve function, but couldn't for the life of him remember the man's name.

"Takashi Moguki," the man introduced himself, for which Suigetsu was grateful. "We spoke–"

"At the New Year's party, I remember," Suigetsu said with a nod. Suddenly, Suigetsu remembered exactly what they spoke about at the party – taking Hyuga Hiashi down. The conversation they had about their particular motives for taking him down flew through Suigetsu's mind as Moguki stood on the steps outside the mansion. Suddenly, as if he'd finally returned to the present, Suigetsu stepped aside. "Please come in."

Moguki followed him inside the house, and they idly spoke of what had changed in recent months. It mostly involved Suigetsu telling him about Sasuke taking him and Hinata in. Suigetsu didn't bring him back inside the kitchen, but instead brought him up to the study on the second floor. It was almost never used except by Kakashi when he wanted to read, but it was empty for now. Suigetsu closed the double doors behind them, and offered Moguki a seat.

Suigetsu walked over to the large desk in the other side which belonged to absolutely no one anymore, and sat down in the nice chair. It made him feel like a big shot, but he only really did it because he had some gin hidden in the empty desk. He pulled the bottle and some glasses out.

"Would you like some?" he asked Moguki as he poured himself some liquid courage. If they were going to continue their discussion about Hiashi, Suigetsu would definitely need it. Moguki nodded, so Suigetsu poured the other glass and handed it to the man who was sitting across the desk. "I assume this visit isn't just social?"

"You'd assume correctly," Moguki said, putting a manila folder on the desk. It was filled with papers, and Suigetsu wondered how he never saw that in his hands before. He pulled the folder to him and opened it up, seeing a bunch of financial records for Hyuga Corp. between the years 1992 and 1999.

"How did you get these?" he asked as he looked over the first few sheets. The only things that stood out to him were various transactions between Hyuga Corp. and another company, Mangekyo Industries. Suigetsu remembered the name from their talk a few months ago, but it stood out more to him now that he worked at Sasuke and Itachi's bar, Mangekyo.

"I have a friend inside Hyuga," Moguki told the other man. "I am mostly here as a courtesy. I was able to use the information you gave me about your relationship with Hiashi's daughter to end his immediate takeover plans, but he still has ambitions that must be stopped. I'm sure you agree." Suigetsu nodded hesitantly.

Hiashi's daughter was just downstairs, contemplating going on welfare. If they destroyed Hiashi, would he be more or less likely to accept his daughter's return? He hoped the former, because this was their only chance at changing the status quo.

"I told you about the funding Hyuga Corp. was giving to Mangekyo Industries for a certain drug that was being tested, correct?" he asked Suigetsu, who nodded. Moguki continued. "I continued digging, and found that Hyuga had started its funding when the drug began being developed, and it ended very abruptly."

He stood and reached over the desk so he could flip through papers. "The funding increased by small incriments over the years, but in December 1999, funding halted. I was able to dig up more on the drug, and found this." He flipped more pages until he was looking at a blank sheet with an eye in the middle. Instead of a normal pupil, there were three black tomoe on a red background, with words creating a ring around the eye. _'The Sharingan Project,'_ it said.

"The Sharingan Project," Moguki said it aloud. He flipped the page, and Suigetsu saw a lot of chemistry and biology jargon explaining the drug. "It's primary function is repairing cells that otherwise can't be repaired, such as nerve cells. It could cure paralysis, for instance, and save many lives. Unfortunately, in December 1999, right when the funding stopped, the Sharingan Project began human testing." Suigetsu furrowed his brows. Why did the month of December 1999 seem significant? "_Illegal_ human trials."

Suigetsu's eyes went wide as he recounted countless conversations between he and Sasuke about his mother and her captivity. About what had kept her away from her family for over a decade. The pieces all fit together in Suigetsu's mind, as he remembered that Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha supposedly died in December 1999, and it was the same month that they began treatment with the illegal drug, courtesy of Madara and Senju Hashirama.

"Living with who you're living with, I'm sure you understand where I'm going with this," Moguki said with a smirk, as a dumbfounded Suigetsu just nodded. He looked at his gin and downed an entire shot before pouring more. It was going to be a long day. "The best part is that the connection between Hyuga Corp. and Mangekyo Industries isn't just illegal due to the illegality of the drug, but because of other things Mangekyo Industries has financed." He flipped a few more pages.

"This is Uchiha Madara's company," Suigetsu observed, understanding now why it had the same name as Madara's bar. Moguki nodded.

"Its current CEO, who goes by the name Tobi, has taken over the day-to-day operations of Madara illicit dealings." He could see that Suigetsu didn't fully understand. "Mangekyo Industries is a front for Madara's old organization. The mob," he added as an afterthought, smirking even more at Suigetsu's understanding.

"He's going to go to prison," Suigetsu realized.

"For a long time," Moguki said. "Or he might just cop a plea and make a bargain to help the authorities trap Tobi and take down the organization. Either way, as soon as I give this to the authorities, Hyuga Corp. is over."

"No!" Suigetsu exclaimed quickly, earning a weird look from Moguki. "I'm sorry, but this company is my son's future. I can't just let you take it down." He closed the folder and pulled it towards him. If push came to shove, he needed to keep the evidence from Moguki so it wouldn't see the light of day. "I'm all for taking Hiashi down, but not at the expense of the company."

"Keep that if you want," Moguki said with an angry look on his face. "I have another copy of all of it. I'm calling a press conference for tomorrow, and I will announce to the world what is going on. I will take Hiashi down, even if it means taking the entire company down with him." He stood to leave, but Suigetsu jumped and grabbed his arm.

"Wait!" he said frantically. "What if there's another way."

"There's no other way," Moguki told him sternly.

"Give me a chance," Suigetsu pleaded. "I will make sure that Hiashi steps down as CEO of Hyuga Corp. and puts someone who is a friend to both of us in the position. We'll leave your company alone, and we'll still have our company."

After a moment's hesitation, Moguki responded. "What is your plan?"

"Just trust me," Suigetsu said. "If I can't get Hiashi to roll over within a week, you can go to the authorities, to the press, to anyone you want. Just give me a week."

He waited with bated breath for the answer.

"One week," Takashi Moguki said sternly before leaving Suigetsu alone with his thoughts.

* * *

"It's good to see you again, Sasuke," Dr. Kishimoto told the raven. Sasuke and Mikoto were sitting in the waiting room, waiting for one of the psychiatrist's patients from the hospital to leave. Mikoto found it a little disconcerting that she was seeing someone who worked at a mental hospital, but Sasuke explained things as well to her as possible without mentioning Naruto's brief stint in the hospital.

"It's my mother's appointment," Sasuke said. He had no desire to see this man anymore. He still couldn't forget the man's advice to talk to his uncle, which directly resulted in Madara's suicide and further depression for Sasuke. He couldn't see a man whose advice caused so many problems, even if Naruto was adamant that he was a great doctor.

"If you ever want to see me again, I'm sure Naruto will give you my number," Dr. Kishimoto told him. Sasuke nodded, not wanting to get into all the reasons that would never happen. He motioned for Mikoto to enter the office, and she did. Sasuke returned to his phone and began to play a game. He had to wait there for his mother, since the hospital was too out of the way for him to leave, do something, and come back.

About fifteen minutes later, the door opened, and Dr. Kishimoto stood in the door way looking at Sasuke.

"If it wouldn't be too much to ask, would you join us?" he asked. Not wanting to be rude, Sasuke stopped playing his game and stood up, following the psychiatrist into the room. He sat on the chair next to the sofa that his mother occupied. "Since the main issue in her return seems to be her relationship with you, I am of the opinion that you need some relationship therapy together as opposed to separate therapy. Are you opposed to that?"

In truth, of course Sasuke was. He didn't really trust Dr. Kishimoto to give him good advice or to be helpful in any way. But if he could possibly help him and his mother gain a decent relationship, then it was worth a try, wasn't it? He shrugged in response, and Dr. Kishimoto smiled.

"Excellent," he said. "Let's begin with the understanding that we have to be wholly truthful and honest in this room and outside, alright?" he asked the two Uchihas. Sasuke nodded and Mikoto followed. "There must also be an understanding that if the other person tells you the honest truth about how they feel, you must accept their feelings, even if you don't like them. Everyone's feelings are valid." Sasuke and Mikoto both nodded again.

"Good," he said. "Let's begin this session talking about the argument you had earlier. Sasuke, I heard your mother's side of the story. Do you mind telling me your side?"

"This has been a recurring issue," he told the doctor coolly. "Her doctors had said that she wasn't well enough to drive, and won't be until she's fully rehabbed her muscles. That means that either Kakashi, Itachi, or myself end up driving her places. She has no problem when they drive, but as soon as I get behind the wheel, she freaks out."

"I don't _freak out_," Mikoto said dismissively.

"Please, Mikoto," Dr. Kishimoto said. "Don't interrupt Sasuke. What did we say about feelings being valid?" Mikoto took the cue to shut up. "Continue," he urged Sasuke.

"Like today, Kakashi and Itachi weren't able to drive her here," he continued. "She insisted on driving, despite not being given the okay from her doctors and not knowing where you are, just because she doesn't think I'm a good driver." Dr. Kishimoto nodded.

"Mikoto, do you think Sasuke is a bad driver?" he asked her.

"I never said he was a _bad_ driver," Mikoto defended. "He just doesn't have much experience driving, so it would be easier if I drove."

"I've been driving for years!" Sasuke yelled at her. He turned to the doctor. "She just has a hard time accepting that I'm an adult and I have experience in driving, among other things."

"What other things?" Dr. Kishimoto asked before Mikoto could interrupt. Sasuke gave his mother a look, and his cheeks tinted slightly.

"Sexual things," he admitted, not particularly wanting to talk about his sex life in front of his mother. Dr. Kishimoto nodded, and Sasuke assumed that Naruto had told him about their consummation in one of his recent visits. "She gives me a hard time every time I sleep over at Naruto's, and every time Naruto comes over to the mansion, she is constantly hovering. She doesn't want us to be alone together."

"Is this true?" he asked Mikoto, who looked offended.

"You can't tell me you think it's a good idea for Sasuke to have sex with his boyfriend!" Mikoto exclaimed. "They're far too young. He should only have sex when he falls in love with someone."

"I _am_ in love with him, Mom!" Sasuke yelled at her.

"I know you think that's love, but it's not a lasting love," she told him. "You're just a kid. You don't know what love is yet." Her condescending attitude completely enraged Sasuke. Who was she to tell him that he couldn't feel love because he was too young.

"Mikoto–" Dr. Kishimoto said, but Sasuke interrupted.

"You have no idea what my relationship with Naruto is like!" he screamed. "Who are you to judge how we feel."

"I'm your mother," she told him coolly. "I know what's best for you. You're only nineteen for Christ's sake! You're not mature enough to have a mature love like that."

"You can't tell me how mature I am! You don't even _know_ me!" he yelled at her. He could see he struck a nerve, but he kept going, ignoring Dr. Kishimoto's insistence that they stop yelling. "You have no idea who I am or what I've had to go through!"

"SASUKE!" The raven was surprised that the psychiatrist was able to cut through his screaming, and he immediately backed down. Dr. Kishimoto's voice returned to normal. "Don't shout in this room, if you don't mind. We're not here to yell at each other; we're here to understand each other. If you can't speak without yelling, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Sasuke nodded.

"Now, Sasuke, your mother seems to be under the impression that you're not mature enough to have sex and the feelings attached to that," Dr. Kishimoto said. _'Thanks, Captain Obvious,'_ Sasuke thought to himself. _'I think I figured that one out months ago. And we're actually paying you by the hour.'_ "In a calm tone, please explain why you don't think she's right."

"Because, _mother_," he said, with bite in his tone. "I have gone through things in the last few years that made me mature faster. I might only be nineteen, but I know that what I feel for Naruto is real."

"Mikoto?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. "Your response?"

"I know you think that your feelings for him are the real deal, but they're not," Mikoto told him. "You haven't seen enough of the world to know. Until you feel that real love, you shouldn't be sexually active."

Dr. Kishimoto saw that Sasuke was gearing up to explode again, so he changed his direction. "Sasuke, why don't you tell Mikoto some of what you – and Naruto – have gone through to make you feel like you're mature enough to have real, deep feelings for him." Sasuke was hesitant to tell her their story, because he wanted to talk to Naruto about how much he was comfortable with sharing, but decided that it was best she knew it all. Maybe Dr. Kishimoto was right and it would make her understand.

He looked at his mother as he began to speak, their eyes locking. "Naruto was raped," he started off. He could see the horror in her eyes, and knew there would soon be more. "By his father," he added, and he was right. Her expression grew even more horrified. "And then I killed him. His father," he specified, although it was pretty obvious who he meant. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see her reaction to what he was about to tell her.

"He had some mental problems," Sasuke continued. "At first, he had something called Dissociative Gender Disorder because of the rape, where he believed himself to be a girl and me to be his boyfriend. Since he was only in the position to get raped because of something I did to him, I pretended to be his boyfriend for months, and I started to feel something for him.

"After a while, he had another breakdown, and he couldn't see me without seeing his father for some reason," he went on. "I switched schools and stayed away, but he saw me pick up some of his friends to hang out with them, and thought that I, as his father, was going to do something bad to them. He followed me to the mansion where he shot me." He opened his eyes and saw Mikoto's expression had completely shifted. She was no longer horrified, but instead a mixture of sad, guilty, and concerned. "He ended up in this hospital for a few months because of all his issues, but was released and became my roommate.

"By this time, I already knew I had feelings for him," Sasuke continued. "I was already in a–" he paused, trying to find a good way to phrase it "– no strings attached relationship with someone else." He didn't want her to know that his current roommate at the mansion was once his fuck buddy. Somehow, he figured that wouldn't work out well. "That relationship ended, and Naruto eventually realized he was gay. That was months ago.

"Since then, I caused Uncle Madara to kill himself, went into a deep depression, was almost killed in the compound that you were being kept in by one of the goons there – Naruto ended up saving me by killing him. Oh, and this entire time, for years, I've been an alcoholic who has spent months at a time doing nothing but drinking." He opened his eyes again and saw horror back in her eyes. "We're not kids anymore, Mom."

She didn't speak; she just picked herself up and ran out of the room as well as she could. She still had a few problems walking, and she'd left her cane at home. Sasuke stood to follow her, but Dr. Kishimoto stopped him.

"She needs time to let that sink in," he said, so Sasuke stayed, and they talked more. About Mikoto, about Naruto. They spoke about Itachi and Madara, and Suigetsu and Hinata. And before Sasuke knew it, the hour was up. He was actually feeling much better now than he had before the appointment. He found Mikoto sitting by his car.

"Let's go," he told her, and she nodded. They wordlessly entered the car, and Sasuke was soon zooming down the highway. They were still silent. They were silent when they got to the house, and they silently parted ways after she gave him a long, lingering hug and a kiss on the forehead.

* * *

Sasuke entered the office silently, not wanting to interrupt the woman at the desk. He was currently at the administrative offices of Konoha University, in the First Year Experience area. All the first-year students had to come here to register for the next semester of classes, so that the advisors could walk them through it.

His advisor, Gekko Hayate, was currently advising two girls who had some need to have the exact same classes. Because of the way the advising worked, he had to do them one at a time and then let them compare schedules and fix what needed to be fixed. Sasuke got ready for a long wait.

When the girls were finally finished, Sasuke moved from the sofa in Professor Gekko's office to the chair in front of his desk. The older man looked at his appointment schedule before turning back. "Hello, Sasuke. How are you today?"

"Fine," Sasuke said shortly.

"Good," Professor Gekko told him. He looked over at the computer. "Can I have your student ID number?" he asked. Sasuke told him it and watched as he entered the numbers in. "It looks like you've fulfilled all your general education requirements. From now on, every course you take will be towards your major or minor." He frowned at the monitor. "It says here that you haven't declared a major yet. Before we go any further, why don't we decide on a major for you?" he turned away from the computer to face Sasuke. "Any ideas?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. He'd never even thought about what he wanted to do. He had no idea what major he should declare for. "I don't know what I wanna do," he admitted.

"Well, all second-year students and up need a major," Professor Gekko told him. "We can always change it later if you decide to change your mind." Sasuke nodded. "So what do you like to do?"

Sasuke almost said "have sex," but he stopped himself at the last minute. That wasn't a profession one would need a college education for. Instead, he just shrugged his shoulders. Hayate rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Sasuke. Work with me. What do you do in your free time?"

"Hang out with friends," he told the advisor. _'Argue with my mother, fuck my boyfriend, try not to drink._' None of those were hobbies, though, so Sasuke didn't add them.

"You don't write?" Professor Gekko asked. Sasuke shook his head. "Draw?" Sasuke shook his head. "Have you ever had a job?" Sasuke shook his head. He could see Professor Gekko starting to get a little frustrated. "What subject do you like?"

"Math," Sasuke said with a shrug. Professor Gekko's eyes lit up. "Good. How about engineering?"

"Ew," was Sasuke's only comment. Hayate's eye twitched.

"How about accounting?" Sasuke shook his head. "Teaching?" Another shake of his head. "Doctor?" Sasuke shook his head. "Lawyer?" Sasuke shook his head. "Don't make this hard," he told the raven. "What are you good at?"

"History," Sasuke said. Hayate opened his mouth to speak, but Sasuke cut through. "I hate history." Hayate frowned.

"There has to have been some job you'd thought of having," Hayate asserted.

"I wanted to be President for a while," Sasuke said with a shrug.

"Politics!" Hayate yelled excitedly. He turned to his computer and put 'political science' into the search bar before Sasuke interrupted him.

"That was when I was five." He could see a vein stick out above Hayate's eyes.

"I can't help you then," he said with a shrug. He turned to his computer. "Until you figure out what you want to declare, I'll just call you a Math major, alright? You can change that later on if you decide on something else. As for your classes, I'll give you two math classes in case you want to stick with math, and two history classes so that you don't lower your GPA. Is that alright?"

"Yeah," Sasuke said absent-mindedly. As he left the office with his fall schedule in hand, he began to wonder about his future. He'd never really thought about the future at all. It's not like he particularly _needed_ a job. He was rich enough that he could live his life comfortably without earning another penny in his life, and still have a decent amount left over at the end. But he needed something to do all day. He needed a job that he loved.

So why couldn't he think of anything?

It was kind of unnerving how absolutely no career seemed to be the right choice for him. Everything he thought of on the ride back to the mansion was somehow undesirable. Either the hours were too long or the work too tedious. Then there were jobs that just sounded boring.

The thoughts were recurring throughout the rest of the day. Back at home, dinner was a lot less tense than it usually was. Mikoto didn't speak a word, probably still thinking about all the things Sasuke had told her today. Sasuke, meanwhile, was still quiet contemplating what he'd spoken with Hayate about.

'_I wonder what Naruto declared,'_ he wondered. He knew what most of his friends wanted. Neji and Sakura were both going into business; Gaara wanted to be a doctor; Hinata and Suigetsu weren't in school anymore; Kiba wanted to be a vet; Shikamaru wanted to be a geologist, and Ino was trying to decide whether she wanted to become a beautician or become an entrepreneur and start up a party-planning business. Just in case, she had declared business as her major.

Naruto was the only wild-card in there, which was weird, because he was the one Sasuke was closest to. He wondered if Naruto had the same indecisive problem that Sasuke had. Most of the people who went to Konoha University ended up in the Business School because it was one of its best programs. He wondered if Naruto would go for business or do something else.

Sasuke thought of all the jobs he'd ever considered in his life, but none were the right fit for him. Maybe he should hop on the bandwagon and become a business major like his brother and half of his friends. He did have a stake in Madara's bar, and if he felt confident enough that he wouldn't relapse, maybe he could have a more hands-on role. By the time he graduated, alcohol might not even be a problem for him.

Even if it was, there was a lot one could do with a business degree. Sasuke was almost guaranteed a job at Hyuga Corp. if Neji did turn out to be Hiashi's successor. Hell, he had enough money to start his own business if he wanted. But still, being a CEO or a business owner wasn't what he wanted from life.

Come to think of it, what _did_ he want from life? Sasuke posed the question to himself, but he didn't have an answer.

'_I have Naruto. He's all I wanted for so long.'_ But still, his relationship can't be the only thing he has going for him in his life. He needed something else. But he didn't know what it was.

He went to sleep that night with the same questions ringing through his head.

_What do you want to do? What do you want from life? What is your future_?

"I don't know," he whispered so softly that even Suigetsu couldn't hear him from a few feet away.

* * *

Neji's phone buzzed on the table again, interrupting his train of thought. He picked it up and saw the same name on the screen as he had the last three times his phone rang. He pressed 'Ignore' and continued writing his paper. About ten seconds later, the phone beeped, indicating that Suigetsu had left him a voicemail message. Another one.

He went back to his paper, again. He stared at the blank page, wondering when he would actually get around to writing it. He looked back over at his notes and growled. His gaze returned to the empty Word document once more, and he slammed his laptop down in frustration. He wasn't getting any work done tonight.

The phone began to buzz again. "What do you want from me!" he yelled at the vibrating phone, but when he looked at it, he saw that it wasn't Suigetsu calling. Embracing the distraction from his paper, he pressed 'accept' on the phone and pressed it to his hear. "Sakura?" he asked.

"_Hey Neji!"_ the pinkette said happily from the other line. _"Are you doing anything?"_

He gave his closed computer the briefest of looks before returning to the call. "Not at all," he said. "Wanna do something?"

"_Sure,"_ she said happily. _"How about you come pick me up and we'll go see a movie or something."_

"Sure," he said, a small smile growing on his face. "I'll see you in a bit."

A scant half-hour later, his car appeared in front of Sakura's dorm. He was about to call her when he saw her throw the front door open and run out towards the car, the door slamming behind her. She was dressed nicely – much nicer than Neji was. She was wearing a black skirt and white blouse. She opened the door and stepped inside the car.

"If I have to spend another minute doing absolutely nothing, I might just lose my mind," she told him. She flipped her hair and pulled down the visor, flipping open the mirror and beginning to apply makeup. "So is there anything you want to see?" Neji just shrugged. "How about a comedy? I could use a good laugh."

They ended up seeing the new movie about a university a capella group which was much funnier than Neji would have expected. It helped him get his mind off everything he'd been thinking about all day. His father, his cousin, his schoolwork. It was as if everything in Neji's life was meant to stress him out as much as possible.

But it was nice to just sit there in the cool movie theater, laughing at mindless fat jokes and some well-timed vomit. He could have done without the music, but he didn't complain. He could see that Sakura was really enjoying the movie as well. When the credits started rolling, they were the last two out of the theater.

"How about some dinner?" Sakura asked him. "I don't want to go back to the room yet. Ino's probably fucking Shikamaru right about now."

"That must be a great sight to walk into," Neji said sarcastically. They were able to find a fine little pizzeria near the movies to have some dinner. When Neji offered to pay for her pizza, Sakura just rolled her eyes and said she'd take care of it.

"So how are things going?" she asked him when they finally sat down. "I feel like we haven't talked in forever." She grew more serious. "Is your uncle still mad at you?"

"When isn't he?" Neji asked bitterly. "If he wasn't afraid of losing an heir, I would be begging on the streets or piling into the Uchiha mansion by now."

"It's not _that_ bad, is it?" Sakura asked, concern evident in her face. Neji took a bite of his pizza before responding.

"Hinata refused his arranged marriage, and I'm still not entertaining his idea of marrying that Takashi girl just so that he can take a company. It's the twenty-first century, for crying out loud. We don't need to seal business arrangements with marriages anymore." He shook his head and took a deep breath.

He hadn't told Sakura the other cause of the growing tension between him and his uncle. Ever since he brought Sakura to the New Year's party, Hiashi insisted that Neji cut off all ties with her. She was a gold digger, was what Hiashi kept saying. It's not like they ever really had a romantic moment before, so Neji knew it was ridiculous.

As Hiashi kept urging him to accept this arranged engagement and cut off ties with Sakura simultaneously, Neji started thinking more and more of the pinkette in a romantic light. She was easy on the eyes, even if her dyed hair unnerved his uncle. If there was anything Hiashi hated more than Sakura's nose piercing, it was Sakura's pink hair. If it wasn't "normal," then it wasn't alright.

But Sakura wasn't normal. Which was okay, because Neji had a bellyful of normal, living in the Hyuga mansion all his life.

He let Sakura talk about how infuriating of a roommate Ino was, though. He didn't want to tell Sakura just how much Hiashi hated her, and he had even less intention of relaying Hiashi's fears of her "ambitions" to her. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

Still, he was wondering more and more often how Hiashi would react to him dating Sakura. It was bad enough going as friends to a business function. Hiashi would probably blow a fit. And the last thing he wanted to do was upset his uncle further. Their relationship was rocky enough as it was, and Hiashi had grown colder and colder since Hinata moved out.

Sakura was pretty, though, and she was a great person. She could get annoying sometimes, but in a much more tolerable way than Tenten had. He kept unconsciously comparing Sakura to his old girlfriend. She wasn't as acceptable to his uncle, and she was admittedly a lot better looking. He wondered how it took this many years into his friendship with her to start to realize that.

He knew it was incredibly rude to compare a friend to his ex – especially considering he and Tenten ended their relationship on amiable terms – but he couldn't stop himself. It wasn't that Tenten was a bad girlfriend, and it wasn't that she didn't have her own charms and quirks. But her lips weren't as full as Sakura's were.

'_Stop,'_ he told himself. Even if he was willing to further incur Hiashi's wrath, there was no guarantee that Sakura was into him. The only person she'd ever shown romantic interest in was Sasuke, and that ended a while ago. As Sakura talked, Neji heard less and less noise, and ended up just looking at her lips. They _were_ really full.

He sort of blacked out or something, because he didn't remember standing up or leaning across the table. The only thing he remembered was his mouth touching Sakura's for that brief moment before pulling back briefly.

Sakura looked positively stunned. She just sat there with her mouth hanging open and a slightly confused look in her eyes. The second time, Neji did feel himself lean over to capture her lips, and he felt the subsequent spit-swap that followed. When she regained her composure, Sakura was one hell of a kisser, but he refused to compare her to Tenten in that regard. This was totally different.

As quickly as the kiss began, it ended, and Neji was as shocked at his own actions as Sakura was.

"Neji–" she began, but Neji stopped her. He saw the look in her eyes and knew it was a failed attempt.

"Don't," he told her, closing his eyes tightly before opening them again. She was still standing there. "That was a mistake, you don't have to say anything." She nodded, and they finished their meal in silence.

The ride back to the dorms was awkward and silent, and the entire ride from the dorms to the mansion, only two words repeated themselves in Neji's mind.

'_Oh fuck_.'

**Author's Note: I just want to address the amount of side stories going on at this point. The story started off solely about Sasuke and Naruto, and slowly added more stories every ten chapters or so with different characters. Right now, there are a lot of side stories going on, but they will all be resolved pretty quickly, and there will still be a few chapters in the end that deal almost solely with Naruto and Sasuke. The story is starting to wind down, and all the side stories are almost over. Please just bear with them.**

**Lastly, I'm happy that everyone's so excited about the sequel. I think I'm going to take a break after this story is finished to get a lot of the chapters pre-written (I hate taking weeks to update just as much as you guys hate waiting weeks for updates) before I start it up. I'm also going to be working on my other ongoing story at the same time. If I had to guess, I'd say I'll take about a month or so between this and the sequel, but if you want more information, just check out my blog.**

**As usual, my blog is at ** fanfics-sm . blogspot . com**, and you can follow me on Twitter at **SMFanfics**. Please take a moment to review and tell me how you liked this chapter.**


	39. It's Not Personal, Just Business

**Disclaimer: I feel like this is my lucky week. The week where I finally own Naruto. Or maybe that's next week.**

**Author's Note: Thanks to all the reviewers. There's a lot of Sasuke in this one, and a decent amount of Naruto too, so I hope you like it. This chapter was also my favorite chapter to write in a long time – I wonder if you guys could guess why. Anyway, on to the chapter before I get rambly…**

**This chapter is currently unbetaed.**

Chapter Thirty-Nine: It's Not Personal, Just Business

Sasuke kissed down Naruto's bare chest, nipping at the tanned skin every few inches. When he reached the blonde's navel, he swiveled his tongue around the hole and dipped it in before pulling it back out. He looked up at Naruto, whose blue eyes were clouded with lust. He was panting heavily and his mouth was agape.

Sasuke gave a slight tug on Naruto's jeans, so the blond raised his hips. Sasuke unbuttoned the pants and slid them down Naruto's body, bringing his boxers down with them. His boyfriend was now delightfully naked, just waiting to be ravished.

Sasuke leaned back a bit and observed his boyfriend, drinking up the glorious sight. Naruto looked painfully hard, with misty precum leaking down the head of his cock. He gave Sasuke a pleading look, which made him look all the more cute. His gaze rose to Naruto's still-slick torso, glistening with Sasuke's saliva. The tan flesh ripped with each breath Naruto took.

"You're gorgeous," Sasuke breathed, leaning forward to cover Naruto's body with his own. He captured Naruto's mouth in a searing kiss, and he felt Naruto's hardness press against his thigh. After momentarily deepening the kiss, Sasuke pulled back and smirked down at the blond. "And you're all mine," he added.

"Sasuke," Naruto moaned as he ground his hips against Sasuke. "You're such a tease."

"Do you want something of me?" Sasuke asked as his hand began to caress Naruto's pubic hair. Naruto's cock throbbed, knowing Sasuke's hand was mere inches away. "Say it," he told the blond with a satisfied smirk.

Quick as a flash, Naruto flipped Sasuke over and gripped his wrists in his own hand. He held them above Sasuke's head triumphantly, and Sasuke unsuccessfully struggled. "I don't just want _some_thing of you." He whispered huskily. "I want _every_thing."

"Then take me," Sasuke challenged, his eyes clouded over with lust. It seemed his words sparked something within Naruto. Before he knew it, he was fully declothed, bent down on the bed as Naruto thrust into him.

It wasn't often they did this, gave themselves completely to lust. Naruto was usually more of a sweet, soft, and slow kind of lover, but Sasuke welcomed Naruto's feral side. With each thrust, he felt closer and closer to orgasmic bliss. He couldn't even keep quiet anymore. Each time Naruto hit that bundle of nerves, he screamed out, neighbors be damned.

Sasuke didn't even have to touch himself to climax. He screamed especially loud as his orgasm wracked his body. He shuddered as he finished spurting his cum all over the sheets, but was greeted by the pulsing of Naruto's cock within him, as the blond spilled his seed into the condom. It wasn't their longest session of lovemaking, but it was by far one of the most satisfying – and that was saying something.

As they lay together, enjoying the afterglow, reality soon returned to Sasuke. A reality he didn't want to face. He still had to figure out what he wanted to do in the future, and he still had to figure out a way to reconcile with his mother after all they'd been through.

And an even bigger issue psychologically for Sasuke reared its head that morning, when he went on Facebook and saw whose birthday it was. He couldn't even remember his uncle's own birthday! He hadn't even _thought_ of his uncle in months. That was a good thing, right? Sasuke was starting to let go of his guilt. But he felt even guiltier for forgetting.

As if the things he said before Madara's suicide weren't enough, he wasn't even mourning him. He was forgetting him.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked from beside him. Sasuke let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. "You feel tense," his boyfriend commented as he began to run circles in the Uchiha's back. "Is everything alright?"

"You were advised for next semester, right?" Sasuke asked, a part of him wondering what Naruto had chosen to major in. Surprisingly, he and Naruto had never had a discussion about the future. Naruto hummed his confirmation. "What did you decide to major as?"

"Well, at first I wanted to do pre-med, so I was going to major in chemistry," Naruto admitted. "I wanted to eventually become a psychiatrist, to help others like myself." He chuckled. "But then I figured it'd be a bit like the blind leading the blind, so I went with business instead."

"Why business?" Sasuke asked, turning around to look at his boyfriend in utter confusion. It was the last thing he'd expected Naruto to major in.

"Why not?" Naruto asked with a shrug and a smirk. "It's the most popular major in the school, and it has one of the best business programs in the nation. I might as well take advantage of that. And if I change my mind later, then I'll just go with whatever. It's not that big a deal." He paused for a moment. "What did you major as?"

"Nothing," Sasuke said, some bitterness in his voice that wasn't directed at Naruto, but rather his indecision. "Professor Gecko wanted me to major in Business until I figure out what I want to do. He signed me up for a few math classes and a few history classes just to waste time, but I don't want to do that."

"What _do_ you want?" Naruto asked. Sasuke opened his mouth to respond, but closed it again. Naruto posed a good question: What _did_ Sasuke want?

"You," Sasuke admitted. "I want to live a long life with you, and possibly start a family. But that's a long way off." He shifted in the bed. "I want things with my mother to get somewhere normal. I want to stop feeling guilty for Madara's death, and I want to get things back to normal." After a brief moment, he snorted. "I want Suigetsu to move out so I can have my room to myself again."

"But what else?" Naruto urged him. "You _have_ to want to do something, right? You don't want to sit around doing nothing all day, do you?"

"No," Sasuke admitted. "But that doesn't make my decision any easier." He closed his eyes to let himself fall asleep with his boyfriend, but it seemed Naruto had another idea. He shifted in bed, before finally standing up and walking butt-naked to the computer desk near the door. Sasuke sighed and stood up, following him. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm dropping you from your classes," Naruto told him simply. Sasuke watched in horror as Naruto entered his student account.

"How did you get my password?" Sasuke asked, horrified.

" You're password is 'password'?" Naruto asked, an amused eyebrow quirked. "That's a rookie mistake." After a moment's stare from Sasuke, he crossed his arms. "I've never _used_ the password anywhere except to get on your laptop," he said. He could hear Sasuke mutter under his breath, but he ignored him.

"Why are you dropping me from classes?" Sasuke asked incredulously. Naruto opened the web page with the registration information. Before he did anything, he swiveled around in his chair to face Sasuke.

"You're not wasting time and money to take classes you may or may not need in the future," Naruto said adamantly. "You're grades are good enough that you'll be able to re-enroll whenever you feel like it. Just spend at least a semester without school. You'll find something to do so that you don't drive yourself crazy. And _then_ you'll figure out what you want to major in." Naruto smiled triumphantly, as if he'd figured out all of Sasuke's problems.

"No!" Sasuke insisted, panicked. He didn't know why, but he couldn't let Naruto do this. If he didn't have schoolwork, he'd legitimately go crazy. And he didn't enjoy Dr. Kishimoto's presence _nearly _enough for that. Besides, if he didn't have school, what did he have? It was the one thing that was always constant in life, the one thing that could get him out of bed every day. "Don't do that, Naruto."

Naruto gave him an odd look. "Is it really that important to stay in school, Sasuke?" he asked. "Now's the chance for you to explore yourself, figure out who you are. You don't need to be tied down by schoolwork. Why waste all this time working towards some degree that you don't want?"

"It's not your choice, Naruto," Sasuke said, making himself sound less panicked and more authoritative. "If I want to stay in school, I'm perfectly entitled." Naruto rolled his eyes, but clicked the browser closed anyway.

"You're so difficult, Uchiha," Naruto muttered. "You don't want to pick a career path, but you don't want to _not_ pick a career path."

"Please just don't push it," Sasuke asked, his confident tone receding. He was almost pleading now. "I'll just figure it out on my own somehow, don't worry."

"Fine," Naruto said with a shrug. "It's _your_ life." After a moment, he spoke. "Speaking of living our own lives, I'm leaving in a few days, and I'll be gone for up to a week."

"Finally going to Uzushio?" Sasuke asked him, grateful the heat was off his own issues. Naruto nodded. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"I think I should do this on my own," Naruto said with a shake of his head. "He's _my_ grandfather, and I think we have a lot to talk about."

"You're not going to chicken out this time, are you?" Sasuke teased. Naruto scowled; he hated being reminded of that.

There he was, all ready to leave, bags packed and everything. And all of a sudden, he started worrying. What if his uncle couldn't stand to look at him because he had been raped by his father? What if he rejected him because of his sexuality? What if his own grandfather hated him? It took Sasuke days to calm Naruto down, but he still hesitated to go.

But Sasuke was glad he was approaching this much more calmly. When Naruto finally _did_ meet his grandfather, Sasuke was sure that things would work out. And if his grandfather did turn out to be the piece of shit that Naruto was nervous about, then Sasuke would be there for him. Always.

* * *

Suigetsu knocked on the door to the Hyuga mansion with much more confidence than he'd ever done before.

Neji was the one to answer it, thankfully. Suigetsu had tried to reach him multiple times in the last day to tell him about the new developments concerning Hyuga Corp. He had a calculated plan, and Neji played heavily into it.

"What do you want?" he asked Suigetsu. He didn't sound angry or annoyed, just tired.

"I'm here to speak to Hiashi," Suigetsu said, a small smirk playing on his lips. He knew Neji wouldn't ask why he was smiling like that, but he kind of wished he would.

"Fine," Neji said, stepping aside to let the light-haired teen through. "Although I can pretty much bet that he doesn't have anything to say to you."

"But I do have something to say," Suigetsu said, allowing his smirk to grow a little bit. He held on tighter to the manila folder tucked under his arm. "As a matter of fact, I want you to be there too, on one condition."

"What?" Neji asked exasperatedly. He certainly didn't have patience for Suigetsu right now, the other boy could tell.

"You want what's best for Hinata and our child, right?" he asked, his grin disappearing. This matter wasn't a joke.

"Of course," Neji said, sounding offended. "You know I never wanted any of this to happen."

"What would you do to fix it?" Suigetsu asked.

"I can't do anything to fix it, and neither can you."

"That's where you're wrong," Suigetsu said, allowing his grin to return. He motioned to the folder. "I have everything I need to fix it, and you can help me. As long as you don't mind going against your uncle."

"It's not wise to go against him," Neji said with trepidation in his voice.

"I have leverage," Suigetsu said, and Neji's eyes flicked to the folder in his arms. "After today, Hiashi will be my bitch." Neji quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Oh?"

"Come to his office with me," Suigetsu said, nodding his head towards where Hiashi's office was in the mansion. Neji made a sweeping 'after you' motion, and Suigetsu walked through the foyer and down the second hallway with an unprecedented swagger.

He knocked twice on the door, and entered when he heard Hiashi's commanding voice telling him to. Neji followed him and closed the door behind them. He stood off to the side near Hiashi's desk, while Suigetsu took a seat across from the Hyuga patriarch.

"Suigetsu," Hiashi said, unable or unwilling to keep the distaste out of his voice. "What a…surprise. I wasn't aware we had any business together."

"Well, we do, as a matter of fact," Suigetsu said with a smirk. "It's been a while, Hiashi, but I do have a few requests of you." Hiashi narrowed his eyes at the use of his first name, but Suigetsu didn't falter.

"A few requests?" he asked. "I don't have time for this."

"Believe me, if you don't hear me out, I'll just have to go with plan B," Suigetsu said. Hiashi ignored him until the next statement. "Plan B involves the collapse of your empire, along with some probable jail time for you." Hiashi froze and then looked up at Suigetsu.

"Those are some big threats for such a small man." Suigetsu dropped the folder on the desk and pushed it towards Hiashi with a confident smirk.

"Don't even think of destroying that," he said triumphantly. "I have multiple copies stashed away, and an associate of mine has a copy to show to the media and the authorities should something untoward happen to me." Hiashi opened the folder and began to thumb through the papers, his glare intensifying every second.

"How did you find these?" he asked harshly.

"Find what?" Neji asked from the side. Suigetsu smirked and leaned back in his chair.

"Uncle was a naughty boy," Suigetsu said tauntingly. "He used Hyuga profits to invest in a certain company with mob ties, and that money went towards illegal human testing of an illegal drug." He looked to Neji. "He bankrolled Sasuke's uncle's mob company, and the drug that kept Mikoto Uchiha alive. I'm sure the people prosecuting the doctor behind these treatments would love to know how he financed the operation."

Neji was speechless, but Hiashi couldn't afford to be. "What do you want?"

"I want the same deal you offered me," Suigetsu said, leaning forward in his chair. "The tables have turned, _Hiashi_, and now _I'm_ the one blackmailing _you_." He smirked. "Hinata will be invited to live back here, and her financial situation will return to what it was during the engagement. Our child will get the same trust fund it was supposed to get in the previous arrangement.

"My brother and I get to move back into our house," he continued. "You'll still pay for our college educations – just undergraduate, don't worry; I don't want to milk you dry. After a few years, when I deem appropriate, you will step down as CEO of Hyuga Corp. and appoint Neji and I as co-CEOs." Hiashi's gaze shifted to Neji.

"You're a part of this too?" he asked angrily.

"I had no idea what was going on," he told his uncle truthfully.

"He didn't," Suigetsu confirmed. "This is all my idea. I trust that Neji is better for _our_ family's interest than you are," he told the Hyuga patriarch. He scowled at Suigetsu. He resented being blackmailed more than he resented paying the money. He had more than enough of that. But his pride was something he couldn't afford to let Suigetsu take so easily.

"Is that all?" Hiashi asked through gritted teeth.

"One more thing," he said, almost as an afterthought. "You have to put an end to trying to marry off Hinata and Neji. They are their own people and will make their own choices." After a moment, he remembered something very important. "Oh, and you can't touch Tsugi Technologies or their latest invention, the TsugiTab. Takashi Moguki has the same information I do, and his Plan A was my Plan B. Be grateful I love my child enough to not let his future get thrown to federal prosecutors and a media circus."

He could see that Hiashi was having a problem accepting this change in status from the blackmailer to the blackmailed, so Suigetsu gave him a genuine smile. "Don't worry, I'm not _evil_. I'll give you the same week to consider my offer that you gave me to consider yours a few months ago. Just call me and tell me whether or not you want to go to prison and lose all your money."

To finish off his power play, he looked at Neji and gave a jerk of his head towards the door. He left without being dismissed, Neji following him out the door.

Once in the hallway, Neji leaned his head against the wall.

"I can't believe you just did that," Neji said, astounded that someone actually had the balls and means to put his uncle in his place. He gave him a look. "You're not nearly as awful a person as I first thought."

"Thanks," Suigetsu said with a toothy grin. "If all goes well, then by next week, Hinata and I can stop mooching off the Uchihas, and I can quit my job next semester to go to school."

"You won," Neji told him. "Hiashi lives for his legacy. He values that more than his pride."

"I hope so," Suigetsu said with a shrug. "If I can't get what I want and need from him, then destroying him will be the next-best thing." Neji shook his head in disbelief, and as he watched Suigetsu leave the mansion, one thought rang through his head.

'_Sometime in the near future, after I get my degree, I'm going to be the CEO.'_

* * *

Sasuke had to admit that, despite his distaste for Dr. Kishimoto's therapy sessions, he seemed to have helped him and his mother with their issues. Sasuke telling Mikoto about Naruto's rape and his alcoholism – among other things – opened the floodgate, and it seemed to bring their relationship to a more mature level.

It took Mikoto a while to come to grips with the fact that her baby boy wasn't a baby boy anymore, but it happened, and things were a lot easier. There were still some issues in their relationship; she still didn't like the way that he and Naruto seemed to be always hooking up, but it was no longer about maturity. Instead, she argued that the depth of their relationship was being cheapened by the way they act like animals in heat.

It was an issue that, according to Dr. Kishimoto, they would both have to agree to disagree on. Mikoto couldn't stop Sasuke from being sexually active with his boyfriend, no more than Sasuke could stop her disapproval.

She was taking other things in stride, though.

A few days after their explosive therapy session, she scoured the house for booze, claiming that alcohol being hidden was just as bad as alcohol in the open if Sasuke stumbled across it. Suigetsu didn't appreciate his multiple hidden stashes being thrown away, but he didn't make a big deal of it. After all, he was still a guest.

In addition to making the house dry, she also did her best to be more amiable with Naruto. The first time she saw him afterwards, she pulled him into a tight hug, and Sasuke had to later explain that he told her all about his past. Sasuke politely asked her to not be so coddling when it came to him and to treat Naruto normally, and she did as asked.

When Sasuke drove, she no longer acted like they were going to die any minute. When Sasuke stayed out late, she no longer grilled him about where he was, who he was with, and what he was doing. When she voiced her opinions, she made it clear that they were her opinions, and didn't expect him to necessarily do as she said all the time.

Likewise, Sasuke stopped yelling as much. When they got into disagreements, it didn't always escalate into all-out fights. He was more patient with Mikoto when she didn't understand some novelty of the 21st Century, despite how long it took to explain mp3 players to her. Sasuke was confident that they were getting to a really good place.

Still, when she suggested he invite Naruto over for a family dinner, he couldn't help but be nervous.

The one thing he'd learned about his mother since she woke up was that she lost her filter when she spoke. Sometimes she would just say the first thing that came to mind, and then realize moments later that she said it out loud. She could get really embarrassing, still, and the last thing Sasuke wanted was an awkward dinner.

But he extended the invitation to Naruto anyway, despite his hesitations. Things were now so much better between him and his mom that he owed her the benefit of the doubt.

Itachi coming to see him was the first indication he had overestimated their progress.

His brother knocked on the open bedroom door twice, making Sasuke look up from his laptop. He had been trying to work on a paper, but was having a serious case of writer's block. "Can we talk?" Itachi asked him.

"I'm in the middle of something," Sasuke said shortly. "Can it wait?"

"I'd prefer to talk to you now," Itachi said. Sasuke gave one look at his computer and sighed. _'It's not like I was getting much done anyhow,'_ he thought to himself as he closed the computer. He swiveled his chair around to face his brother. "Mind if I sit?" he asked. Sasuke shook his head, so Itachi walked over and sat on the edge of Sasuke's bed.

"Mother and I were talking," Itachi began.

"About me," Sasuke surmised. His brother nodded.

"Yes, and we came to an agreement about something," Itachi said. Before Sasuke could ask what, he continued. "We think you should sell your stake in Mangekyo to me." It felt like a slap in the face to Sasuke.

"You don't trust me," he accused, narrowing his eyes.

"It's not that," Itachi said assuringly. "But why put the temptation in front of you when it would be easier to just stay away from it."

"What temptation?" Sasuke asked. "I haven't _been_ to Mangekyo since we inherited it. We both agreed about it months ago. _You'd_ handle on-site operations, and I'd just sit back."

"Why would you even want to own the bar?" Itachi asked.

"It's an income," Sasuke told Itachi. "We don't have to worry about money, but I don't have any job prospects in the future, as far as I'm aware. I don't even know what I'm going to be _doing_ after college."

"Between what we got after Father and Mother were declared dead, and what we inherited from Uncle Madara, you'll never lack for money in your life," Itachi assured him. "I'm willing to give you a good value for your stake in the bar as well. You don't _need_ an income."

"I don't care," Sasuke said, crossing his arms. "I'm not giving up my stake just because you and our mother don't trust me to be professional about it." He nodded his head towards the door. "You can leave, now."

Itachi sighed, but he complied. When he left and the door was shut behind him, Sasuke swiveled around in his chair. He opened his laptop again, but he couldn't focus on his paper now. He was still seeing red.

Why would they even _think_ of telling him to sell his half of the bar? He'd done nothing to even suggest he would abuse the fact that he owned a bar. He was sober for months, now. He could barely remember the last time he had a drink, and assumed it must have been sometime last October, before he and Naruto started dating.

With hours left before dinner, Sasuke stood from his chair, grabbed his coat, and left the house, avoiding running into any other residents of the mansion on his way out.

When he finally got to his destination, he was pleased to find parking right outside. He didn't even care that he had to put two quarters into the parking meter to go to his own establishment. It had been a while since he'd been there, but not much had changed.

When he opened the door, it was like going back in time. Danzo was still standing behind the bar, pouring a drink for one of the patrons. Suigetsu was a few feet away, cleaning a few glasses. Neither paid any attention to their alcoholic boss entering the bar.

Kisame did. Itachi's friend was sweeping up the floor near the back tables, and he was the only one actually facing the door. Sasuke didn't pay him any mind, and made his way over to the bar instead.

"Danzo," he greeted. The old man had worked for his uncle as long as Sasuke could remember. Danzo was certainly surprised to see Sasuke there, as was Suigetsu. When Sasuke spoke up, the light-haired teen looked up as well.

"What are you doing here?" Suigetsu asked him loudly, sounding almost scared. Sasuke couldn't blame him. Just standing so close to all the alcohol was making him question his sobriety.

"I want a key to the bar," he told Danzo, ignoring Suigetsu's question. "And the key to the office as well." After Madara died, he and Itachi decided to turn his small apartment upstairs into an office/staff room. Each of the employees had keys to the staff room, which was comprised of Madara's living room, kitchen, and bathroom. The bedroom was redesigned to be an office, which had a separate key.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Danzo asked him.

"I'm planning on taking a more active role in how this place is run," Sasuke informed him. Danzo and Suigetsu exchanged a questioning glance. "Is there a spare key for the office in the meantime?"

"I don't think Itachi would like you going into his office," Suigetsu commented.

"It's not just _his_ office," Sasuke told him, starting to get angry again. Why did everyone insist on treating him like a child? He was an alcoholic who was asking to _leave_ the bar and deal with the management issues. It made absolutely no sense to stop him.

Danzo sighed, but pulled a small key ring off his belt. There were five keys on it. "The gold one is for the office," he told Sasuke. The youngest Uchiha nodded his thanks and made his way upstairs.

The apartment changed a lot since Sasuke was last there. He hadn't been there since the day before Madara killed himself, back when it was a residence. The staff room was clean, with a sofa and a television neatly placed in the corner. The kitchen had been redesigned, and there was new carpet, drapes, and wallpaper all around. It seemed Sasuke wasn't the only one who wanted no reminder of Madara's old apartment.

He unlocked the office door and stepped inside, noting that Itachi had a good eye for decoration. It had a large, oak desk in the center, with a desktop computer in the middle. There were a few filing cabinets along one wall, and tasteful pictures on the walls. Sasuke closed the door behind him and walked around the desk, sitting in Itachi's leather chair.

He opened the first file on the desk, intent on educating himself on how the bar was running. It seemed to be a bunch of financial statements about an organization with the same name as the bar. He glanced through it a bit, but it didn't catch his attention much. He would ask Itachi about it later, though.

He put the file aside, and decided to look on the computer. He moved the mouse and the screen turned on, and Sasuke noticed that it was logged in to Itachi's e-mail. The e-mail that was queued up was from a name Sasuke didn't recognized, but as the subject line read "Mangekyo," he decided he had the right to take a peek.

_I hope you enjoyed my file. Apparently, Tobi has had some dealings with the DA who handled Senju's case. Initial background checks on Tobi showed nothing major, but I'll dig deeper._

_Yamato._

Sasuke's eyes caught a few names. Senju, the man who ran the illegal experiment on his mother, and Tobi, the mob boss who financed it. _'The file,'_ he thought, rereading the first line. He looked over at the Mangekyo Industries file. After flipping a few pages, he noticed the CEO's name on one of the financial statements.

_Tsukyomi Tobi_. His brows furrowed as he looked between the screen and the file. _'What kind of business is this, and why does Itachi care?'_

He flipped through a few more pages, and he found something even more confusing. Back in the 90s, there was a large amount of money coming in from an offshore account, which was connected to Hyuga Corp. The gears in Sasuke's mind kept turning to try and figure out what all this meant, but he wasn't sure he even understood these papers right.

He returned to the computer and searched through Itachi's e-mail for more e-mails from this Yamato guy. Either the e-mail he saw was their first communication, or Itachi had deleted all previous e-mails. He opened a new tab and searched 'Yamato' into Google, but there were too many results to weed through.

Reminded of Senju Hashirama, Sasuke next searched Google for the fate of his mother's doctor/captor. He hadn't heard much of anything about him since Mikoto had returned home. The first result was a link to a New York Times article, about the charges against him being dropped.

He looked back at the e-mail, and started making sense of it. He was slowly connecting the dots between Yamato, Tobi, Mangekyo Industries, Hyuga Corp., Hashirama, and the DA who handled his case when Itachi threw open the door. Sasuke immediately closed the e-mail tab.

"'I haven't _been_ to Mangekyo since we inherited it,'" Itachi quoted with a glare on his face. Sasuke hadn't seen his brother truly mad in a long while. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Was it Kisame who called you, or Danzo?" Sasuke asked.

"That doesn't matter," Itachi spit, approaching the desk and placing his hands on it. "You don't belong here."

"Actually, I _do_ belong here," Sasuke said, puffing up his chest. "I own half of this office, and I have a right to every file you have here on the financial and business aspects of the bar." Itachi noticed the Tobi file open on the desk and immediately snatched it up.

"Not this one," Itachi told him. "This one is personal." Sasuke decided to let that slide. He had a different battle to fight.

"I didn't have a single drink, and I came up here as soon as I could," Sasuke told him. "You can ask Danzo if you don't believe me. As for why I'm here? Our conversation inspired me to take a more active role in how this place is being run." Itachi crossed his arms, and Sasuke leaned back in the chair.

"You're an alcoholic, Sasuke," Itachi said exasperatedly. "If you really want to get an income, sell your half to me and use it to buy a restaurant somewhere. Put it in the stock market and invest it. I don't know, but don't put yourself so close to alcohol."

"This is Madara's bar," Sasuke said. "It has sentimental value; I'm not giving it up. Besides, I'd never invest in the stock market, especially after what happened to Kisame and Suigetsu."

"Kisame invested stupidly," Itachi said. "But that's beside the point. If you keep pushing this, Sasuke, I'll have no choice but to have mother force you to give it up."

"She can't _force_ me to do anything," Sasuke said. "Whether you two like it or not, I'm an adult. I have rights, and neither of you have the right to make me stop." He glared at Itachi, and his brother returned the look. They continued the silent battle for a few seconds before Sasuke's phone began to ring. Not breaking his eye contact with Itachi, he put the phone to his ear and answered the call.

"Hello?" he asked.

"_Sasuke, I'm almost ready for dinner_," Naruto's voice came through the phone. "_Are you picking me up, or should I just go there directly?_"

"I'll be there in a bit," Sasuke told him. "See you." He hung up the phone and stood up from his desk. "I told Danzo, but I might as well tell you. I'm expecting to get a key to the bar, the staff room, and the office. To alleviate your concerns, I won't ask for one to the back room." He didn't want accusations of stealing their supply either. "I'll expect them both in two business days." He stood up and left Itachi without another word.

Who did he think he was, acting like Sasuke couldn't handle himself? Just when he'd gotten his mother to understand he could take care of himself, it turned out even Itachi didn't trust him!

Well, he was going to show Itachi _and_ his mother. They didn't think he could handle working around liquor professionally? Not only would he take a hands-on role with the bar, but he'd make it thrive. And he wouldn't touch a drop of alcohol the entire time. He recalled that brief moment at the bar when the alcohol seemed to speak to him, but he shook it off. That was a one-time thing. And as he got adjusted to being there more often, he was sure it wouldn't be so tempting.

When he finally pulled up to the university dorms parking lot, Naruto was already standing outside waiting for him. He was wearing jeans and an orange long-sleeved thermal shirt. His hair was still wet from the shower he'd probably taken a bit ago. As Sasuke's car approached him, Naruto ran towards the car. It had barely stopped when Naruto threw open the door and crawled inside.

"You're looking hot," Sasuke commented as his boyfriend put on his seat belt. "Maybe we should just skip dinner and go back upstairs to your room." Naruto rolled his eyes, but his smile betrayed him.

"The last thing I want is your mother thinking I'm corrupting you and turning you into a sex fiend," Naruto said.

"She's got that backwards," Sasuke said with a smirk as he leaned across the car and licked the shell of Naruto's ear. The blond shuttered and pushed Sasuke away playfully.

"Just drive," he said.

When they finally got to the Uchiha mansion, Sasuke's angry mood was starting to resurface. He was now going to face his mother and his brother again, which was a prospect he didn't enjoy. He wondered how Mikoto would react to knowing that Sasuke actually went to the bar instead of just selling his half to Itachi.

"Sasuke!" she yelled at him as soon as he crossed the threshold of the house, holding Naruto's hand. Sasuke's head turned and saw her approaching, looking at him with fire in her eyes. She was wearing a dark blue dress that Sasuke was pretty sure she only wore to formal occasions. '_At least she was making an effort to look nice for this,'_ he told himself

"Hello mother," Sasuke said tensely. Naruto reassuringly squeezed his hand.

"Hi, Mrs. Uchiha," Naruto said with a bright smile. "Thanks for inviting me to dinner." Mikoto's angry look morphed into a sweet expression as she turned to Naruto.

"No problem, dear," she said. "I know how much Sasuke likes you, and I would like to get to know my son's boyfriend better." Sasuke almost blanched at how drastically she changed her demeanor when speaking to him. "And please, call me Mikoto."

"Er…okay," Naruto said glancing between Sasuke and Mikoto. "Do you…uh…want me to give you two a minute?"

"That would be lovely," Mikoto said sweetly.

'_NO!'_ Sasuke wanted to yell out desperately. Instead, he felt a second reassuring squeeze of his hand before Naruto let go and walked towards the kitchen, where Sasuke knew Kakashi and Itachi were.

As soon as he'd gone out of earshot, Mikoto's saccharine expression turned angry once more. "Itachi told me he found you at that bar," she said in an angry tone.

"Itachi told _me_ about your brilliant plan," Sasuke retorted. Mikoto began to chide him, but Sasuke cut through, his expression adamant. "I'm not selling my half of Mangekyo, Mother. And I'm going to show you that I can be professional about it without relapsing."

"I just want what's best for you, honey," Mikoto said, her expression softening a bit. "I have no doubt you _could_ be professional about it. But why put you in that situation? It's just unnecessary."

"I wasn't _in_ the situation," Sasuke insisted. "My name was on the deed only. The only thing I did was collect a paycheck as half-owner. Being at the bar this afternoon was the first time I was there since October!" He was pleased that that tidbit seemed to shut her up. "If I knew you'd be this overbearing about it, I never would have told you anything," he continued. He ignored the way she looked like she was going to cry.

"You have to let me live my life the way I want to," he told her. "I'm an adult. And if you think I'm making a mistake, then you can talk to me about it. But don't try and tell me I can't do what I want to do. If I'm going to run a successful business, then that's _my_ decision." He didn't wait for her to respond before stalking away towards the kitchen.

He found Naruto setting the table with Itachi, Kakashi and Hinata already sitting there. The table was set for eight. "Kisame and Suigetsu are joining us?" Sasuke asked as he began helping his brother and boyfriend with the preparations.

"They should be home in a few minutes," Itachi said shortly. It was obvious to anyone who heard Itachi speak that something was up between the Uchiha brothers. Naruto opened his mouth to ask why, but decided that staying out of it was probably the best option. A few seconds later, Mikoto emptied the kitchen, and the room's temperature seemed to plummet.

Mikoto made her way to the oven, and opened it to pull out the salmon. "I remember when we had people to do this for us," she commented to no one in particular.

"We didn't want them to waste all their inheritance on maids, butlers, and cooks," Kakashi told her, as he had before. Sasuke had sort of recalled people working in their house, but most of that part of his life was such a blur. Mikoto was obviously not used to doing her own housework, what with the pampering and then the coma and then more pampering.

Suigetsu and Kisame arrived a few minutes later, after the table had been set. They both helped serve the food – quite a lot for an eight-person meal. With the table set, the food served, and everyone there, they sat down to eat their meal.

Naruto moved to dig in, but Sasuke silently stopped him. Since she'd come home, Mikoto had insisted that they say grace at every meal. Apparently, they'd said grace before she'd gone away, but Sasuke just took her word for it. He didn't really care one way or the other – it was only a few seconds out of his day.

He held Naruto's hand in his own and linked hands with Suigetsu on his other side. Suigetsu linked with Kisame, Kisame with Itachi, Itachi with Mikoto, Mikoto with Kakashi, Kakashi with Hinata, and Hinata with Naruto on her other side.

"Thank you, God, for the blessings you've given us," Mikoto said with her eyes closed. "Thank you for delivering me to my family, and for bringing such wonderful friends into our lives. And thank you, God for the food we eat today." She opened her eyes and looked around the circular table. "Amen," she said.

"Amen," everyone repeated afterwards. And _then_ Sasuke allowed Naruto to finally start eating. Sasuke passed the garlic mashed potatoes to Hinata, while Naruto loaded his plate with green beans. As everyone put food on their plates, Sasuke didn't notice the determined glint in Mikoto's eyes.

"So, Suigetsu," she said as she cut into her steak. Her tone of voice sounded casual. "How was work today?" It wasn't very overtly about him, but it made Sasuke pause in cutting his steak anyway.

"It was fine," he said awkwardly, giving Sasuke a sideways glance. He almost looked like a deer caught in headlights. _'Great,'_ Sasuke thought. _'I'm not the only one who's afraid of where she'll take this conversation.'_

"How do you think things are there?" she asked him. "I only ask because I'm considering buying up half of it."

"Itachi could give you a better answer than I can," Suigetsu mumbled, not wanting to get involved. But Sasuke was already through with the conversation.

"I said _no_," he said firmly. "Bringing it up over dinner with other people won't pressure me to change my mind." He could feel Naruto's questioning glance on him, and similar ones from Hinata and Kakashi. They were the only ones who were apparently out of the loop.

"What about _you_, Naruto?" she asked, directing the question to his boyfriend. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at her. How dare she drag Suigetsu and Naruto into this private conversation?! "How do you feel about your boyfriend wanting to take a more hands-on role at his bar?"

Naruto looked shocked for the briefest of moments before composing himself. It was enough for Mikoto to see, though.

"Mikoto," Kakashi said warningly. "I don't think –"

"If Sasuke wants to keep his share of the bar and take a more hands-on role, then that's his prerogative," Naruto said, recovering from the brief hesitation. "It's _his_ decision, not mine." Sasuke had never been so grateful to his boyfriend in his life.

"But surely it affects you," Mikoto pushed. "If you two are planning on sharing a future together, then you should have a say in what businesses you two will own, and how they'll impact your lives together."

"Mom!" Itachi cut in. "He said no."

"I agree," Kakashi said. "Now's not the time –"

"It's precisely the time!" Mikoto said defensively.

"This is awesome," Suigetsu muttered sarcastically under his breath.

Kisame whispered something to Itachi. Mikoto was arguing with Kakashi. The noise was growing louder and louder until one sound cut above the rest. Sasuke pushed back his chair and stood up abruptly.

"I'm done," he said, throwing the napkin that had been on his lap onto the table. "You had me invite Naruto for dinner so that you can invite him to our family. All you've done is try to pressure me into giving up _my_ possessions and belittle me like I'm a child. What you've done tonight was incredibly immature and manipulative." With those last few words, he stormed out of the kitchen.

Naruto pushed his chair out as well and put his napkin on the table. "Thanks for the food, Mrs. Uchiha – what little I was able to taste was amazing. The conversation? Not so good." He followed his boyfriend out of the room, but almost yelled out loud when he realized Mikoto was following him into the living room.

"Sasuke!" Mikoto called after her son. Sasuke turned around, and Naruto stood at his side, holding his pale hand in his own. "You have to understand!"

"All I understand is that you're a _bitch_!" he yelled at her, more than loud enough for the entire kitchen to hear her. "You thought that trying to embarrass me in front of my family and friends was going to get me to – what – see the light?"

"I know you're an adult," Mikoto told him. "But you're still my son. And when I see you making a mistake, it's my responsibility to stop you."

"Well, you're responsibility is over!" he told her. "You're not my mother anymore, and I'm not your son. I'm moving back in with Naruto, and I'll come by to get my stuff some time when you're not around." The pained look on Mikoto's face almost made him relent. Almost.

"Don't!" she yelled, her face turning red as she started to cry.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi said, entering the room from the kitchen. "Don't be hasty." Itachi had followed them out to the living room. Naruto could almost picture Hinata, Suigetsu, and Kisame in the kitchen being relieved that the drama-fest left their vicinity.

"I'm not being hasty," Sasuke said adamantly. "The longer I stay here and the more I see her, the more I wish I'd never found her at all!" He gave one last look at Mikoto before leaving, pulling Naruto alongside him. The last thing inside the mansion that Naruto saw was Mikoto's face – red, wet, and distorted in almost physical pain.

"I hope you don't mind me inviting myself to live with you again," Sasuke said, his face still steely with anger at his mother. They both got into Sasuke's black BMW.

"Of course not," Naruto said. "After _that_ dinner, I had half a mind of making you leave."

When they were long gone from the mansion, on the road in Sasuke's car, heading towards the university, Sasuke started to cry. He had to pull over for Naruto to take the wheel. And the rest of the drive to the campus, Naruto kept glancing at Sasuke's sobbing figure in the passenger seat. Gaara and Kiba saw him bringing Sasuke up to the dorm room, and they both immediately latched on to them as Naruto got Sasuke into bed.

"What happened?" Gaara demanded. He reminded Naruto of the same Gaara who looked down at him when he'd shot Sasuke.

"His mother," Naruto said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Fuck," he sighed. Even he didn't know everything that went on – apparently Mikoto and Sasuke had a previous argument about the bar, and Sasuke apparently decided he wanted to be more involved with it. But he still didn't have the whole story.

He retold it best he could, but he couldn't stop seeing the image of Mikoto sobbing heavily as they left. She brought it on herself, but the image of her burned into his memory. He recalled the moment when he and Sasuke had discovered that she was alive, and briefly wondered how things had escalated so quickly in just a few months.

After Gaara had been satisfied by Naruto's retelling of events, and Naruto had convinced them that he'd take care of Sasuke for the night, the other two left. Naruto crawled into bed with Sasuke and wrapped his arms around his now-sleeping boyfriend. The tear-stained pillow wasn't comfortable for Naruto, but he stayed anyway.

He was relieved that Gaara was so defensive of Sasuke. He was sure Gaara would take care of Sasuke while Naruto was in Uzushio. The last thing he wanted was for Sasuke to feel alone. He briefly considered canceling his plans, or bringing Sasuke along, but he knew that he had to do it now, and he had to do it alone.

* * *

"Neji, _talk_ to me!" Sakura begged, rather loudly in the Hyuga's opinion. He could already feel the stares from everyone else in the hallway. Leave it to Sakura to confront him in broad daylight, in public, while he was on his way to his Accounting class. _'This is what you get for ignoring her calls_,' a voice in the back of his head told him.

He grabbed her arm quickly and pulled her to the side, hoping they could fight about _the incident_ privately. He had no desire to let the entire university know their business. "We'll talk about it somewhere else," he told her as he dragged her somewhere else – anywhere else. His eyes found a door that led outside. It was a better option than letting her go on a tirade in front of everyone.

"What was _that_ about?" he asked her angrily. "What made you think doing this in front of all those people was okay?"

"What made _you_ think avoiding me was okay?" she asked, just as angry as he was. "You ignore my call, have your butler _lie_ and say you were out when I show up at your house, you log off Facebook every time I message you." She ran her hands through her hair and let out an exasperated roar. "How the hell else am I supposed to find you?"

"Well, I'm here now. Say what you have to say."

She looked at him like he had three heads. "You _kissed_ me, Neji. And you left before we had time to talk about it."

"I told you, Sakura, we don't have to talk about it," he said calmly. "It was a mistake on my part – an accident – and it won't happen again."

"A mistake?" she asked, as if she was astounded by the statement. "Forgetting a paper on the day it's due is a mistake. Leaving the headlights on in your car overnight is a mistake. Ordering something off a menu you can't read at a foreign restaurant is a mistake. _Kissing_ someone is _not_ a mistake. I know for a fact you've never kissed Gaara or Sasuke, 'accidentally,'" she said, using air quotes around the word. "I'm sure you never kissed Ino by mistake, have you?" he didn't answer.

"_Talk_ to me," she begged. "I want to know _why_ you kissed me." She was going to make him say it, wasn't she? Why couldn't she just accept his answer and move on?

"You were listening to me complain about my uncle, and my life in general," Neji said with a shrug. "I felt like letting you know how much I appreciated it."

"By _kissing _me?" she asked, obviously not believing him. "That's really fucked up, Neji." And again, he didn't have a response. _'Why does she do this to me?'_ "Just tell me right now, so we're totally and completely clear from here on out: do you like me?"

His throat went dry. "Of course I like you," he said easily. "You're my best friend."

"That's not what I mean, and you _know_ it!" Sakura yelled at him. "Tell me right now, or I'm done with you."

He remained silent. _'Don't make me say it,'_ he silently pleaded. The last thing he wanted to do was mess his friendship up with those feelings that had been growing for weeks. She said she'd leave if he didn't answer, but if he told the truth, then their entire friendship was over.

"I'm done," she said with a shrug, turning to walk away.

Neji panicked. "No!" he said quickly, reaching forward and grabbing her arm again. He couldn't let her just leave like that. He needed an answer. And that meant he could either be a liar, or take the chance. _'You miss 100% of the shots you don't take,'_ Neji told himself, recalling the quote from Wayne Gretzky.

"I do feel something for you," he admitted to her, not looking at her eyes. "I just don't know how deep they run." His hand went slack, and she shrugged it off her arm, turning to look at him directly.

"Finally, you say something that's not complete bullshit," she said, her voice a mixture of relief and leftover frustration. She shook her head. "If you don't know how deep your feelings are, then I guess I should help you."

He didn't see her coming. This kiss completely shocked him, and he didn't know how to react. It took a few seconds for him to process what was happening. _'She's kissing me!'_ And it was totally different from other kiss last week. He was absentminded when he initiated it, and horrified when he'd ended it.

This was nice. It was soft. It was fluffy, although that was an odd adjective to use to describe a kiss. His hand raised to touch her tender cheek, and allowed himself to reciprocate. She opened her mouth more willingly than he'd anticipated, and he took the opportunity to enter her mouth with his tongue.

When the kiss had finally ended, Neji was confounded. There were no words. Sakura smiled and leaned to give him a quick peck on the lips.

"Good," she said with a satisfied smile. "It wasn't _that_ bad, was it?"

**Author's Note: Again, I end with the side-story of Neji/Sakura, but that story is pretty much over at this point. They're together, and there's not much more to them than that. We got a lot of Sasuke and Naruto this chapter, though. In the next chapter, we see Naruto's first interaction with his grandfather, and we'll find out about Hiashi's decision. And some more Dr. Kishimoto (I forgot how much I liked writing him…he was there all the time for, like, ten chapters, and then he disappeared).**

**As usual, my blog can be found at **fanfics-sm . blogspot . come**, and you can follow me on Twitter at **FanficsSM**. Please take a moment to review and tell me how you liked this chapter.**


	40. Lost in Paradise

**Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto told me he'd be giving me Naruto for Christmas. He lied.**

**Author's Note: I'm sorry for the long delay in this chapter. It's been just over a year, but I'm picking up right where I left off. I'm hoping I can finish the story before the spring, and considering there are only a few more chapters left, I think it's definitely possible. I wanted to get this out quickly, so this is unbetaed right now. I have reviewed it, but please let me know if you find a mistake.**

Chapter Forty: Lost in Paradise

"I really fucked the pooch on this one," Mikoto lamented to Kakashi over her mojito. Knowing that seeing her was the last thing Sasuke wanted, Mikoto made sure to avoid Mangekyo like the plague.

"You just want what's best for him," Kakashi told her. "You might not have gone about it the right way, but your heart was in the right place. You don't want your recovering alcoholic son to spend his days at a bar. It's a perfectly understandable desire."

"I feel a 'but' coming on," Mikoto said quietly as she took another sip of her drink.

"But," Kakashi indulged, "You tend to go about your perfectly understandable desires in a…not so understandable way." She gave him an annoyed look. "Sasuke's an adult, and you have to accept that. He has the final say on what he does with his money."

"Believe me, I know," Mikoto said bitterly.

"At the same time, you have to understand that Sasuke's a teenager," Kakashi told her with a small smile beneath his mask. "And there was no surer way to push him into taking a hands-on role at the bar than to try and take the bar away from him." Mikoto smirked at that a bit. Despite Sasuke's claims that he was a mature adult, he seemed to still have a bit of juvenile rebellion in him. But as soon as the smirk appeared, it was wiped from her face.

"I've lost him," she said, pushing the empty glass away from her. "You heard him. He said he wished he'd never found me." She felt tears streaming down her cheeks.

"He didn't mean that," Kakashi assured her. "You were both angry, and he said things he didn't mean."

"He said I wasn't his mother," Mikoto insisted. "And he's right! I just keep expecting him to be the little boy that I knew. But he's not that boy, and I don't know the person he's turned into. He's a stranger to me, and I don't know how to be a stranger's mother."

"You need to get to know him," Kakashi told her. "You missed a big, dramatic, hectic chunk of his life. It's not your fault, but you have to work with the hand you're dealt. You say he's too much of a stranger for you to be his mother? Then you have to get to know him."

"After that hell of a dinner, I'm not sure he'll ever speak to me again," Mikoto admitted. She was a little surprised to hear Kakashi snort. She turned to look at him and saw the smile in his eyes.

"Now I know where Sasuke gets his penchant for drama," Kakashi joked. Against her own will, Mikoto let out a chuckle. Kakashi was right; she was being too dramatic. She might have to wait a while for Sasuke to cool down, but she'd eventually have the chance to make things right. She just had to make sure she didn't screw things up like she had a habit of doing.

"Thanks Kakashi," she said, laying her head on his shoulder. "I don't think I could do this without you. You took care of my babies when I couldn't, and now you're the only thing keeping me sane. I don't know how Rin managed to let you get away."

As soon as she said it, she saw Kakashi's reaction. _'You idiot, can't you go a day without saying _something_ wrong?'_ The light in Kakashi's eyes seemed to go out at the mention of his unrequited love, and his shoulders began to slump. She reached out to touch his mask, and gently pulled it down.

He turned his head to look at her, to question her, but she was already doing what she could to repair what she'd done. His lips were the first she'd kissed since her own husbands' all those years ago, and she was kind of surprised at how right it seemed. She'd never once thought of Kakashi in this way, but he'd been her rock since she came back.

But whatever small fire burned inside her, it was extinguished when Kakashi pulled away. And again, Mikoto wanted to just drown herself in her embarrassment. First she'd brought up Rin, and then like an idiot, she tried to take the sting away by _kissing_ him.

"I'm sorry," was all she said.

"_I'm_ sorry," Kakashi told her. He pulled his mask back up over his face. It was just like him to apologize when he did nothing wrong.

"So all this time, you've never..." she trailed off. She almost couldn't believe that in all the years since Rin's death, he'd been true to her ghost.

"No."

"Why?" she couldn't help but wonder aloud. As much as losing her husband hurt, she couldn't imagine living the rest of her life without the love or comfort of another person.

"I read somewhere that when the sun has set, no candle can replace it," said Kakashi. "I didn't understand what that really meant until Rin died."

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Before agreeing to help move Hinata's stuff from the Uchiha mansion to the Hyuga mansion, Sasuke needed to be reassured that Mikoto wouldn't be there. After their disaster of a dinner a few nights before, the last thing he wanted was to see her again. He waited in the foyer with Kiba and Suigetsu as Neji, Gaara, and Hinata came back in from loading up Neji's car with more boxes.

"What do you want us to do with these?" Kiba asked, pointing to a pile of boxes near him.

"Those are my winter purses," Hinata said. "Those can go in Sasuke's car." They'd decided that Kiba and Sasuke's cars would be the less-important things that could be unloaded into the Hyuga's garage and stay there for a bit until she was ready to unpack them. The more urgent things, like her clothes and room decorations, would be packed in Neji's car and taken care of first.

Kiba and Gaara each picked up one of her 'winter purse' boxes, while Sasuke took a box of her winter coats. Hinata walked back out with the three of them. Being a few months along in her pregnancy, Hinata was directing the boys, not doing any of the heavy lifting. She directed Sasuke first, who dropped the box in the back of Kiba's car. He went in to get another box as Hinata decided whether the box Kiba carried should go on the top or bottom.

Sasuke was beginning to regret volunteering, but it beat staring at his phone for hours on end. Naruto had been gone since yesterday. He finally had the time to go out to Uzushio and meet his grandfather, Mito. And as much as Sasuke supported him, he couldn't help but miss him. And it was even more annoying that Naruto didn't call or text once since he left.

So when Sasuke heard that Hiashi had reneged on his ostracism about Hinata's baby, he jumped at the opportunity to distract himself. Though he had a sneaking suspicion that by morning, his back wouldn't be thanking him. Sasuke began to wonder if Suigetsu and Neji had stayed back inside instead of helping, and soon heard their voices.

"...keep his promise?"

"Don't worry, I've got a plan," Suigetsu answered as Sasuke turned the corner and saw them.

"What's this plan you two are conspiring about?" Sasuke asked, amused at the way Suigetsu jumped when he spoke.

"Plan?" he asked. "Who said anything about a plan?" Sasuke looked past Suigetsu to Neji, who was acting much less jumpy.

"Don't feel you guys have to tell me when you're planning something," Sasuke said with just the right degree of disappointment in his voice. "I've only given you and Hinata a place to stay for the last few months while you had nowhere else to go." He could almost immediately see the guilt take resonance in Suigetsu.

"You can tell him," Neji said with a roll of his eyes. "Sasuke won't tell Hinata if we tell him not to."

"I promise," Sasuke said, realizing that he hadn't so much stumbled upon a plan, but a secret. "What's going on?"

"Not here," Suigetsu said, nodding his head towards the doorway. Sasuke walked through, followed by Neji and Suigetsu. When they were finally far away enough from the foyer to not be overheard, Suigetsu decided to talk.

"So what's up?" Sasuke asked in a hushed voice.

"You deserve to know that Hiashi helped fund the Sharingan Project through the Hyuga Corp.," Suigetsu confessed. Sasuke could feel his stomach drop. It was like any time he thought it was all over, this whole nightmare went deeper. "I was approached by someone who had a bone to pick with him, and I was able to use the information to convince him to let Hinata back home and to give me and Kisame back our house."

"You blackmailed Hiashi?" Sasuke asked, surprised that Suigetsu had taken such a bold step. The fact that Hiashi seemed to turn over so many new leaves in such a short time did seem to make a lot more sense now. He gave Suigetsu a smirk. "I didn't know you had it in you."

Suigetsu grinned back, but Neji didn't seem to be so happy about it. "This all worked out for Suigetsu in the short run, but I don't think this is over. If my uncle hates anything more than dishonor in the family, it's not being in control. As soon as he finds something on you, you'll be dead meat."

"At this point, there are very few mistakes that I could make that would hurt me more than this info would hurt him," Suigetsu said with a shrug. "Forget about family honor; if the proof falls into the right hands, Hiashi could be looking at jail time and the destruction of his company. I don't have nearly as much to lose. I'm not afraid of him."

"And that's a mistake," Neji warned.

Sasuke knew that Neji was probably blowing this out of proportion a bit, though he now saw Hyuga Hiashi in a new light. He wasn't just Hinata's stern father, he was a man with ties to organized crime. That should be enough to scare Suigetsu a bit.

"Why don't you tell Hinata?" Sasuke asked him. "It's not like you'll earn brownie points by keeping it a secret."

"Are you crazy?" Suigetsu asked. "Did you see how happy she was, thinking that her father wanted her back? I couldn't take that away from her by telling her that her father was _forced_ to let her move back in. I don't know if she could handle all the stress anyway. She needs to focus on the baby and make sure he's well-taken care of."

It was as noble a gesture as Suigetsu had ever made, and it seemed to throw Sasuke off-guard a bit. He couldn't help but remember the manwhore that Suigetsu had once been, and was even more impressed at how much of a stand-up guy he'd become.

"_He_?" Neji asked. Sasuke looked at Neji in confusion before realizing what Suigetsu had said.

"It's a boy?"

"Fuck," Suigetsu muttered. "Hinata didn't want anyone to know yet. We just found out yesterday."

"Congratulations," Sasuke said, pulling him into a hug. "Have you guys decided on a name?"

"We're still thinking about it," Suigetsu said. "Although I still think he should be named after his dad."

"You don't hate him enough to do that to him," Neji lamented, earning a playful shove from Suigetsu. He chuckled and then turned to Sasuke.

"We actually talked yesterday, and I have something I need to ask you," Suigetsu said. "It's a huge responsibility, so I understand if you want to say no, but Hinata and I agree that you're the best person to ask, and—"

"Cut to the chase," Sasuke said.

"Would you like to be his godfather?" Suigetsu asked. Sasuke was stunned into silence. He hadn't expected that, although if he thought about it, he was a natural decision. He'd known Suigetsu longer than any of their friends, and despite the drama between him and Hinata, the two had been friends for a while.

"O-Of course," Sasuke said when he realized that he'd been silent for a bit too long. Suigetsu let out a sigh and smiled. "We should celebrate," he decided suddenly. "I'll get Ino to help me plan a party for you two at Mangekyo. We'll shut it down for a night and celebrate your son."

"That's really not necessary," Suigetsu assured him.

"No, it's fine," Sasuke insisted. "It'll give me something besides my non-existent plans for the future and my dreadful relationship with my mother to obsess over. We'll do it later this week, and you guys can announce that you're having a boy."

"If you're sure about it," Suigetsu said with a shrug. "Just make sure to have something nonalcoholic for Hinata to drink." Sasuke gave him a look before Suigetsu realized that any party Sasuke threw would have to have nonalcoholic drinks included. "Duh," he said, smacking his forehead with his palm.

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Naruto shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he stood outside his grandfather's door. He debated going back to his car and just driving right back to Konoha. _'I came out all this way. I need to do this.'_

He knocked lightly on the door, and he knew that his grandfather wouldn't hear him. He took another deep breath before rapping on the door a bit louder. The faint noise from the television stopped, and he heard footsteps on the other side. The nerve-rattled part of his mind debated jumping into the bushes to avoid being seen, but Naruto knew he had to stick it out.

The door opened to reveal a man who looked older than Jiraya, if it was possible. He had dull blue eyes and a thin head of white hair. Beneath his thick glasses that seemed to be right out of the 1970s were liverspots and wrinkles, and Naruto had to wonder exactly how old his grandfather was. The cane that he'd been leaning on clattered to the floor, and Naruto looked up to see a look of terror on his grandfather's face.

Naruto immediately bent over to pick the cane up and handed it to his grandfather, who looked as white as a sheet. "Minato?" Mito asked in almost a scared tone.

"No, my name's Naruto," Naruto introduced quickly. "I'm—"

"Kushina's boy?" Mito asked. His eyes were twice as wide, but he seemed to have a bit more color back. "You look just like your father." His grandfather must have been going a bit in the head to first confuse him with his mother's old friend and then to say he looked like Kyuubi. Anyone who ever met his dad couldn't help but comment on how different they looked. "Come in, come in."

He moved to the side, and Naruto took the opportunity to come in. Mito slowly led him to the living room, where Judge Judy seemed to be on mute. The room wasn't much larger than the size of his dorm room, though if Mito was living alone, it was plenty big enough.

The carpet had been white at one point, but now seemed to be some dirty grayish color. The room smelled like cigarette smoke, but that was the only other indication that the room wasn't cleaned often. The house had an older feel to it, with a wooden mantle on the fireplace. It was filled with pictures. Most seemed to be old black and white photos, but he recognized a few, with Kushina and with Kyuubi.

"Does Kyuubi know you're here?" Mito asked quickly. "I can't imagine he's too happy about you seeing me."

"Kyuubi's dead," Naruto said, still feeling a little nauseous from the memory. Mito looked shocked. "It happened over a year ago. He was killed in self-defense."

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," Mito said with a heavy sigh. "Self-defense, you say? What was he doing?"

"He was…raping someone," Naruto said, not wanting to tell his grandfather all the dirty details. "It's just a shame he wasn't killed a few years earlier." Naruto paused a moment. "Why don't I know you?"

"Kyuubi didn't want you to," Mito told him. "Though I'm sure Jiraya told you that. Kyuubi hated the idea of you having a relationship with anyone who knew your mother."

"He told me that she was a hooker," Naruto confessed. "That was all I knew about her until Jiraya told me otherwise a few weeks ago. He told me that you live here, and that you could tell me more about her."

"A hooker," Mito said, his face twisted in anger. He turned his head and spit at the ground. "If Kyuubi wasn't dead, I'd have half a mind of doing the job myself. Your mother was certainly not a hooker. She was a wonderful young woman. She made her fair share of mistakes, but who doesn't at such a young age?

"I can't even say that her relationship with Kyuubi was doomed from the start—he was a fine young lad at one point, believe it or not," Mito told Naruto. Naruto didn't think he could wrap his mind around a Kyuubi that was once 'a find young lad.' Kyuubi was nothing more than a monster.

"What happened to him?" Naruto asked. Something had to change if he went from a fine young lad to the worst kind of person.

"What happens to anybody?" Mito asked back. "They say that even the worst people who ever lived had good in them at some point. Who knows what makes them break? All I know was that it was slow. None of us saw it happening. He slowly got more angry, more hateful, more violent.

"I think your mother was partly to blame," Mito admitted. "Their relationship had always been unhealthy, and she continued to stay. She allowed it to continue to deteriorate, and that was without a doubt, her biggest mistake." Naruto didn't really want to hear about his mother's mistakes or his father's redeeming qualities, though. That wasn't why he came here.

"It doesn't really matter what turned him into what he was," Naruto decided. "It doesn't erase the scars." He saw Mito's eyes lower to view the six long scars that symmetrically marred his cheeks. Having faded to a shadow of what they once were, they almost looked like whiskers in the right light. But still, those weren't the scars Naruto spoke of. Some scars don't show on the outside.

"Please don't think I'm making excuses for him," Mito said immediately. "What he did to them was inhuman."

"Who's 'them'?" Naruto asked. "My mother and Minato?"

"You know about Minato?" Mito asked, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Who told you about him?"

"Jiraya and Tsunade," Naruto said with a shrug. "Orochimaru said a few things too."

"Orochimaru," Mito said, as if just speaking the name was unpleasant. "Bah, the guy was a creep, that's for sure. But he certainly cared more for your mother than Kyuubi did in the end. I have no doubt of that." Naruto involuntarily shivered. The last thing he wanted to think of was his mother with Orochimaru. "What did they tell you about Minato?"

"Jiraya said he was my mother's friend," Naruto said. Mito nodded, but gave Naruto a look to go on. "She moved in with him for a bit after Kyuubi beat her." He was trying to remember the exact details of Jiraya's story, but bits escaped him. "Kyuubi killed him, right? Because he was angry at him." That was all he could remember from Jiraya. "He killed him because he thought Minato was having an affair with my mother," he guessed.

"He didn't just _think_ it, Naruto," Mito told him. He gave Naruto a curious look, as if assessing him. "Did they not tell you?" his grandfather asked. "They didn't know for sure, but I can't believe they didn't guess it."

"Guess what?" Naruto asked. What didn't Tsunade, Jiraya, and Orochimaru tell him? Mito stood up and grabbed his cane, slowly moving towards the wooden mantle. He pulled down one of the color pictures that he'd noticed when he walked in. Naruto couldn't see the whole picture, but it looked like his mother was in it.

Mito pulled the picture out of its frame and turned around. He handed Naruto the picture upside down first, and Naruto saw on the back of the picture, a heart with the initials "MN" and "KU" inside it. He turned the picture around and seemed to be staring into a mirror. His mother was standing with a man who looked just like Naruto—the same blond hair, the same blue eyes, even the same smile. And they looked very in love.

"As soon as the doctor pulled you from your mother, it was obvious that your mother had been unfaithful at least once," Mito told him. "Kyuubi killed Minato that day, and he killed Kushina a few weeks later. He left with you, and I was too afraid to say anything, even though I was the only one Kushina told about your father."

"You mean Kyuubi's not my father?" Naruto asked, looking back down at the picture. A tear dropped on the bright smile of his father—his true father. And Naruto wasn't able to hold it back anymore. He wasn't Kyuubi's son, he was the son of Kushina and Minato. He might not know much of anything about them, but they were better people than Kyuubi.

He hadn't been raped by his father, he had been raped by a monster. It might not sound like such a difference to some, but a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders, and Naruto felt freer than he'd felt in a long time. Kyuubi was nothing more than his parents' murderer. He was an evil man, but he was nothing to Naruto. _Nothing._

"Are you okay?" Mito asked, laying a grandfatherly hand on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto wiped his eyes with his sleeve before smiling up at Mito.

"Never better," he said. He looked at the clock in the corner of the room and realized he had to leave if he wanted to make it back to Konoha before tomorrow morning. He stood up and gave his grandfather a hug. "Thank you so much for telling me. I have to go now, but I'll be back. I visited Uzushio University, and I'm going to be transferring there for the next semester, so I'll be in town."

"It was nice meeting my grandson," Mito said, giving Naruto a tight hug. "And keep the picture. Everyone should have a picture of his parents."

"Thank you," Naruto said as he pulled away. He left his grandfather's house so much happier than he'd been when he arrived. The clouds had cleared, and there seemed to only be one storm left on the horizon. _'How do I tell Sasuke that I'm leaving Konoha?'_

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"It couldn't have been _that_ bad," Dr. Kishimoto said.

"It was worse," Sasuke told him. "I've never been so mad at her before." After helping Hinata move out of the Uchiha mansion, Sasuke had to rush to make it to his next appointment with Dr. Kishimoto. The psychiatrist had been a bit shocked to hear that Sasuke and Mikoto had a falling out so soon since their last session.

"Tell me what happened," he urged.

"It started when she tried to get Itachi to convince me to sell my stake in Mangekyo," Sasuke said, still fuming. "It's not like I did anything except collect a paycheck for it. So I told him no and decided that Mangekyo was a good way to get my mind off of things."

"We're going to have to talk about that after you're done with your story," Dr. Kishimoto said. "I don't think I've ever heard a recovering alcoholic say that working at a bar was a good thing."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and continued with his story. "After telling her in no uncertain terms that I was going to keep my stake in the bar and start working there, she decided to corner me at the dinner table in front of everyone. She even tried to get Naruto to tell me to give it up. She just doesn't get that I'm an adult and can make my own decisions."

"Or maybe she's worried," Dr. Kishimoto suggested. "She learns that her son is not only an alcoholic, but owns a bar. I'm sure she thought she was doing a good thing when she decided she wanted to end your involvement with it. I would even advise that you take a step back from the bar."

"I wasn't mad until she decided to try and manipulate me into giving it up by bringing it up in front of everyone," Sasuke said, crossing his arms.

"That's a valid grievance," Dr. Kishimoto said with a nod. "You said in our last session that she has a tendency to ignore you when she feels she knows better than you. But moving out and refusing to talk to her isn't going to help your relationship along."

"I don't even know if I _want_ to have a relationship with her anymore," Sasuke admitted. "On top of everything else I'm stressed out about, I don't need to deal with her."

"What else are you stressed about?" Dr. Kishimoto asked.

"Well, school's probably the biggest thing," Sasuke admitted. "I just had an appointment with an advisor who told me I had to figure out what I want to do with my life. But I still don't know what that is yet."

"What sort of things do you like to do?" the psychiatrist asked.

"I don't know," Sasuke admitted. "Out of all the school subjects, I probably like math the best, but I don't want to be doing math as a job for the rest of my life."

"Do you have any hobbies?" Dr. Kishimoto asked. Sasuke shook his head. "Well, that's where you need to start. Maybe you should take a break from school for a semester and try to find something to do. Start experiencing life, and what you want will come to you."

Sasuke had never heard someone suggest dropping out of school to him, and he didn't like the sound of it. Dropping out would mean he would have to live at the mansion, or at least find another place away from Naruto. He wouldn't be with his friends as often. And he had no idea what kind of hobby he should look to get.

"If you say so," Sasuke said. He didn't really want to keep talking about this.

"So, about working at the bar," Dr. Kishimoto began.

"Please don't," Sasuke interrupted. "I don't need a lecture. I get that it sounds weird, but I'm good. I can work there without having to drink."

"Are you su—"

"Yes." Dr. Kishimoto was quiet for a few moments. "Would you like to talk about anything else?" Sasuke stayed quiet. "How's your relationship with Naruto going?"

"It's great," Sasuke said. "Or at least I think it is."

"What does that mean?" asked Dr. Kishimoto. "Does Naruto think differently?"

"I don't know," Sasuke admitted after a moment. "He's away in Uzushio visiting his grandfather. It's the first time we've really been apart for days since we got together, and he hasn't called or texted once. He even sent me to voicemail earlier."

"Maybe his phone was off," Dr. Kishimoto suggested.

"It rang twice before going to voicemail," Sasuke said. "He was screening my call. You'd think if he loves me as much as he says he does, he would want to talk to me."

"He's with his grandfather, connecting to the family he never knew he had," Dr. Kishimoto reminded him. "Maybe he's so busy that he doesn't have time."

"He doesn't have five minutes to talk to his boyfriend?"

"Maybe your problem is that you don't know how to be without him," Dr. Kishimoto suggested. "You said it yourself—this is the first time you two have been physically apart for more than a day or so. Perhaps if you two got used to being a bit more..." he searched for the word. "...independent, then days apart like this wouldn't be so hard. Maybe get a hobby like we were talking about before. You can foster your independence while learning to find yourself."

"I don't _want_ to get used to not being around him," admitted Sasuke. "He's my boyfriend, and I love him. Why should I want to get used to not seeing him for days on end?"

"You don't have to get used to it," Dr. Kishimoto told him. "You have to be able to handle it, though."

"I _am _handling it!" Sasuke yelled. He didn't need the psychiatrist's raised eyebrow to realize how obvious a lie that was. "Okay, I'm not," Sasuke admitted with a sigh. He buried his head into his hands.

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Tobi hadn't been expecting the call from Hyuga Hiashi, it had been so many years since their paths had last crossed. But when he saw the name on his caller ID, he knew it was time to dismiss his shareholders from the room.

When the door had finally closed behind the last one, Tobi put the phone to his ear and connected it to line 1. "_Finally!"_ came the Hiashi Hyuga's voice. _"How the hell am I supposed to contact you when your old line is dead?"_

"I didn't give you my new one because I figured our business was concluded," Tobi replied calmly. "I see I was mistaken."

"_I thought so too,"_ Hiashi said, his voice angry. _"I was confronted with some evidence that incriminates us both, however. One of my daughter's friends, Suigetsu Hozuki, has a file with all the evidence connecting Hyuga Corp. to the Sharingan Project and Mangekyo Industries. He's threatened to take me down, and I won't be going down alone if that should come to pass."_

"What do you want me to do?" Tobi asked, knowing full well what Hiashi wanted.

"_You're a gangster,"_ he said. _"I want you to do what you do best and dispose of this loose end. But before you deal with him, you must deal with Moguki Takashi, the CEO of Tsugi Technologies. I have it on good authority that he supplied Suigetsu with the evidence he used. Suigetsu told me that should anything happen to him, his associate will reveal the information. Moguki must go before Suigetsu."_

"I'll take care of it," Tobi said. He didn't let Hiashi respond before clicking the line and putting the phone back. He turned to his security guard. "Hiashi thinks he can boss me around and tell me what to do. Well, from the looks of things, there aren't just two loose ends, there are three. Have your men take care of Moguki Takashi and Suigetsu Hozuki. Make sure all the evidence is destroyed. Then, kill Hiashi Hyuga."

**Author's Note: This was a relatively short chapter, but the climax of the story is coming up, so I hope you'll forgive me. Please review the chapter to tell me what you think. Part of the reason for the long delay was that I lost my muse for writing this story, and reading your reviews keeps that muse alive.**

**Also, I have been planning a sequel for a while, and despite the poor frequency in my updates, I still have more story to tell. The sequel, titled **Not Just Another Murder Mystery Story**, will be of a similar length to this story, but it will focus a bit more on Sasuke and Naruto, and less on the other characters. This story, while originally very exclusively centered around Sasuke and Naruto, has grown to encompass many other characters and story lines, something which won't happen with the sequel. Each chapter has been planned out (although the last 4-5 do need to be revisited because I don't like the way it ends yet), and I have the overall arc and tone of the story.**

**As for this story, there are only five chapters left, and the last chapter (which is the epilogue) has already been written. I am really excited to finally reach the end of this story that I began in 2010. So thanks for reading, and please review to keep my muse alive. And while I don't like making promises, I _promise_ it won't take nearly as long for me to update again.**


	41. Misguided Ghosts

**Disclaimer: Wonder if I own Naruto yet? Nope? Ok that's fine. There's always next time.**

**Note: This chapter is unbetaed.**

Chapter Forty-One: Misguided Ghosts

Sasuke stepped out of his car and pressed the lock button twice. He flipped his sunglasses up to his forehead and entered _Mangekyo_. Danzo was there, wiping down the bar and getting ready for opening. Normally, the bar would be opening in a few minutes, but it was shut down for Hinata's baby shower later.

"Itachi's in his office?" he asked the old bartender. Danzo gave him a curt nod, so Sasuke climbed up the stairs to his brother's office, which had once been his Uncle Madara's apartment. He knocked twice on the door, and entered when his brother's voice gave him permission.

"What are you doing here?" asked Itachi.

"Just checking in on the place," Sasuke answered. He knocked on the wall twice. "It's still standing."

"I haven't seen you much since you moved out," Itachi said plainly.

"I'm not here to talk about that," Sasuke replied brusquely. "I want you to give me something to do. I said I wanted to be more hands-on here."

"So you did," Itachi said, giving him an odd look. "Well, what do you want to do?"

"You're the one who's been running the place for the last few months. What is there to do?"

"Not much, to be perfectly honest," Itachi replied. "I've been going over the inventory. Apparently the mead isn't selling very well, so we're probably going to just stop serving it. I'm also working on a billboard ad near the parkway."

"What about the books?" asked Sasuke. "Do you need someone to do accounting?"

"The business degree is coming along fine, Sasuke," Itachi told him. "I can handle it."

"Why not let me?" Sasuke suggested. "I've also taken accounting classes. I can handle it."

Itachi sighed. "You really want to be more active here?" Sasuke nodded. "Fine. If you want to help, go into Madara's bedroom. I put the boxes of the last ten years of tax returns. I've been meaning to go through it and make sure everything checks out. The last thing we need is to be audited and find out that he was laundering money or something."

"I'll turn the bedroom into an office for me." Itachi raised his eyebrow. The bedroom was the place where Madara had hung himself. "What? It's not like it's haunted or anything. I can slap on a coat of paint, rearrange the furniture, and no one would be able to tell what happened there."

Itachi shrugged. "Go for it." A knock on the door interrupted them. Sasuke turned around to see an older gentleman standing in the doorway, someone he'd never seen. "Please excuse us, Sasuke, we have business to discuss."

"As part owner, I think I should be a part of whatever business you guys have," Sasuke insisted.

"This isn't about the bar," Itachi said. "Please come in, Yamato."

The name seemed familiar to Sasuke, but he couldn't quite place it. He stood up and left the room, looking over Yamato as he passed. He closed the door behind him, but left it cracked open a bit. He considered just going downstairs, but he had a feeling he should listen in, for whatever reason.

"What did you find?" came his brother's voice.

"Well you were right, on all accounts," Yamato answered. "A look into the district attorney's bank account shows a hefty sum transferred the day before the charges against Senju were dropped. The sum was transferred from an offshore account, linked to Mangekyo Industries."

As Sasuke listened in, it all came back to him. He'd been snooping in Itachi's office a week or so ago when he read an e-mail, written by Yamato. "_I hope you enjoyed my file. Apparently, Tobi has had some dealings with the DA who handled Senju's case. Initial background checks on Tobi showed nothing major, but I'll dig deeper."_

He'd also found a file regarding a company called Mangekyo Industries, with CEO Tobi Tsukyomi.

"I want that bastard behind bars," Itachi said in a low voice. "Tobi too. Is this what our justice system is? Backroom deals and bribery?"

"It gets worse," Yamato replied. There was silence for a couple of seconds.

"Madara?" Itachi asked in a breathless voice.

"Same university, same years," Yamato answered. "It says here that Tobi was working here until a couple of years ago."

"I don't remember him," Itachi said. Sasuke could almost hear his frown. "If Tobi and Madara went to the same school, then Tobi probably also knows Senju from there. Hashirama was Madara's roommate, I believe. So, this is the connection."

"Mangekyo Industries owns a few foreign shell companies besides the one which transferred money to the DA," Yamato continued. "One of them owns the complex that your mother was held prisoner in."

"So Mangekyo Industries was the company that financed and developed the drugs my mother was on?" Itachi asked.

"They didn't finance it," Yamato answered. "According to this..." he paused "...Mangekyo Industries was created only a few months before your parents' car crash. The start-up money was financed by an outside investor, but I couldn't trace it."

"You have Tobi's address?" Itachi asked.

"Not yet, but I could get it to you later."

"Thank you, Yamato," Itachi said. Sasuke could hear him standing up, and raced away from the door and down the stairs, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping. He opened the door at the bottom of the stairs which opened into the bar, where Kakashi was standing a few feet away.

"Just the person I was looking to see," Kakashi said with a smile. "Mind going for a drive?"

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"What do you think?" Hinata asked, spinning around to let Kiba and Gaara see the pink dress in full effect. It was long, reaching her ankles. It flowed nice, with lace trimmings. It made her feel like a Disney princess.

"It's nice," Gaara answered.

"I think I like the blue one better," Kiba added. The blue was a lot more fun. It clung to her body, which Hinata didn't really like, as she had started to show.

"It makes me look fat," Hinata answered.

"You're pregnant," Kiba argued. "No one's going to look at you and say 'What a whale'. Besides, that one shows off your other curves much better." Gaara swatted his shoulder. "What? She wants to impress Suigetsu, right? All bisexuals are ass-men, it's a proven fact." He turned to Hinata. "And you should be proud of your ass, it's very nice."

"Kiba," Gaara said shortly.

"What, just because it doesn't get my juices flowing doesn't mean I can't appreciate it," he said defensively. "It's like the Mona Lisa. I don't think it's all that exciting, but I can see that it took talent to make it."

"He's not wrong," Gaara told her. "Although he's never called _my_ ass a work of art."

"Your ass has transcended art," Kiba answered. Gaara smiled despite himself.

"You don't need a sexy dress to impress Suigetsu," Gaara turned his attention back to Hinata. "He obviously likes you. A lot of guys would have done anything to run away from this situation, but he's really embraced it. Besides, you're hot enough that you got him in bed in the first place."

"Gaara!" Hinata squeaked, blushing.

"If you wanted G-rated opinions, you should have chosen Sasuke and Naruto to be your personal gays," Gaara said with a shrug.

"Naruto hasn't gotten back from Uzushio yet, and Sasuke is helping get the place ready for the baby shower," she answered. "I didn't have much of a choice."

"Ouch," Kiba muttered."

"So blue dress?" asked Hinata. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Kiba answered.

"A hundred percent," Gaara added.

After buying the dress, Hinata dragged Kiba and Gaara to Jared's to get some jewelry.

"I'm pretty sure you have enough jewelry back at your place," Kiba commented.

"There's no such thing as enough jewelry," Hinata answered. "It's a special occasion."

"I can't wait three months to get to do this all again for the wedding," Gaara muttered.

"Sakura and Ino are helping me with the wedding, don't worry," answered Hinata. "Now come here and look at these bracelets.

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Shikamaru cursed as he fumbled with the neck tie he was attempting to put on. His father was out of the house, so he was forced to tie it himself. He'd rarely had to wear a tie, so on the rare occasion he had to wear one, he usually asked his father to help him put it on.

"What's taking you so long?" Ino asked, walking into the bathroom. "The tie? Still?" she asked incredulously.

"It's not as easy as it looks," Shikamaru said defensively, untying his bad knot and starting from square one.

"It absolutely is," Ino said, closing the space between them. She reached down to his tie. "First off, it's twisted behind your neck." She fixed that before beginning to tie his tie. She wrapped one end over the other and began to knot it. A couple of seconds later, it was tied perfectly. "It's a bit long on you, but I won't say anything. See, it is easy. Now make up? _That's_ not as easy as it looks."

"How did you learn to tie a tie?" Shikamaru asked, almost offended that she knew how to tie it and he didn't.

"Naruto had the same problem," she answered. She yanked the tie, pulling him into a deep but quick kiss.

"I don't get why this has to be a suit-and-tie type thing," Shikamaru muttered. "Getting all dressed up is a drag."

"Everything's a drag," Ino said, rolling her eyes. "Girls like getting dressed up." She motioned up and down her pale pink dress. "Hinata, Sakura, and I all got new dresses for it. Besides, it wouldn't kill you to have to look classy every now and then."

"We don't know. Maybe this tie is tied so tight it'll choke me," Shikamaru muttered. In response, Ino pulled the tie tighter.

"Well we won't have any alcohol there. Maybe some death will make the night more interesting," Ino suggested with a smile. "I certainly wouldn't have to hear any of your complaining for the rest of the night." Shikamaru loosened the tie.

"If I'm going to die tonight, I don't want to be wearing this. Who wants to die all dressed in stuffy clothes?"

"It would make the funeral arrangements easier," Ino suggested. "Usually they dress the body up nice, but you'll be saving them that trouble."

"I'm glad to see you're s torn up about the thought of my death," Shikamaru deadpanned.

"I'd probably be sad for a bit," Ino teased. "And I'd have no one to go to the wedding with!"

"I can't die now," Shikamaru responded sarcastically. "I couldn't die if I had that on my conscious."

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Sasuke stared out the passenger window of Kakashi's car with a bored expression. His godfather hadn't exactly kidnapped him, but he had no desire to be there. Naruto would be getting home in a bit, and they had to get ready for the baby shower.

"I love you, you know," Kakashi said as they stopped at a red light. Sasuke's head jerked to look at his godfather. "I don't know if I've ever said that to you boys, but I do. I've always considered you two like sons. And I know I'm not your father, but—"

"I love you too," Sasuke interrupted. "You're not my father," he repeated. "But you're the next-best thing. You've been there for us."

"Not as much as I could have or should have, and I'm sorry for that," Kakashi said. "I took care of you, but I moved out after Itachi turned eighteen. I figured it would be easier for you two to look after each other. I was going through my own stuff then too, and it was just as good that you two weren't around me much."

"Why are you telling me this?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, I love you like a father loves his son," Kakashi said again. "So when I see the relationship between you and your mother fall apart, well, I understand how she feels."

"I'm not going to talk to her," Sasuke insisted.

"Sasuke, your mother loves you, even if she doesn't show it very well," Kakashi told him. "Obviously, she hasn't gone about anything the right way. She still sees you like the little boy she left behind, it's hard for her to see you as a grown young man who can make his own decisions, and his own mistakes."

"Mangekyo is not a mistake," Sasuke said. "I need something to give my life direction."

"Of all directions for you to take, running a bar is probably the worst one," Kakashi said. "But I'm not here to talk you out of it. You're an adult, and if you want to run a bar, I won't try to stop you. That's what your mother needs to learn. But she can't learn to see you as an adult if she doesn't see you, can she?"

"You think this is easy for me?" Sasuke asked angrily. He could feel tears stirring behind his eyes, but refused to cry. "I love her. When I found out she was alive, it was one of the happiest moments of my life! How many people get to have this kind of chance? Since day one, I've been trying to start a connection with her, to have a good relationship with her. I know we had to start at square one, but I was willing to do that.

"She's the one who ruined this. She treats me like a child! She doesn't approve of my relationship with Naruto—she doesn't have the balls to say it, but she does. She used to give me shit for sleeping over at his place, like I was a high schooler who missed his curfew! She argued about me seeing an R-rated movie, she tried to _forbid_ me from keeping my stake in the bar, and when that didn't work, she tried to get Itachi to talk me into it. There's only so much of this I can handle."

"Life is short, Sasuke," Kakashi said after a moment. "Take it from someone who knows, there are some things that are not worth throwing away. Your mother didn't die in that accident all those years ago, but she could die tomorrow. She could be hit by a bus, mugged in the streets. If anything, her recent medical history could make her unhealthy. If she died tomorrow, would you be okay with the way you two have left things?"

Sasuke was silent as Kakashi turned the corner. They were just circling the blocks around Mangekyo at this point.

"If you want to write your mother off, that's your choice as an adult to make," Kakashi told him. "But don't close that door unless you're one-hundred percent sure that you won't want to open that door. Life is short, and I don't want you to have any regrets with the way you handled your mother."

Sasuke bit his lip. He didn't want anything to do with his mother at this point. She'd burned the bridges, and he wasn't sure he wanted to open himself up to more pain and drama in that relationship. But the thought of something happening to either one of them before that bridge could be rebuilt was terrifying. He'd kind of just figured that in a few years, they'd be able to start talking again. But Kakashi was right—there was no guarantee that they'd both be there in a few years.

"Fine," Sasuke said. "You're right. Tell Mom to come by Mangekyo tonight. We're gonna be there for Hinata's baby shower. I'll excuse myself for a few minutes to talk to her."

"I'm glad you're giving her another chance," Kakashi told him. "I'm proud of the man you've grown into, and I know your mother is too."

"Thanks," Sasuke said. They pulled up next to Sasuke's car. Sasuke bade his godfather farewell as he got into his car to begin his trip back to the university.

Sasuke saw Naruto's car in the parking lot, and he seemed to feel excited, angry, and worried all at the same time. Naruto had been gone over a week to visit his grandfather in Uzushio, and he'd only contacted Sasuke once to tell him what time he'd be home after Sasuke texted him about the baby shower. He was happy he'd see his boyfriend, but _boy_ would Naruto need a good explanation.

He didn't rush up the stairs to their floor, but he sped up when he got closer to the door. He threw it open and found Naruto sitting at his desk on his laptop.

"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed. He jumped out of his chair to pull Sasuke into a big hug. "I missed you so much."

"Could have fooled me," Sasuke commented, pulling away from the hug. "You know that thing in your hand?" he asked, nodding to Naruto's cell phone. "It lets you call people who are far away, even if you're not near a landline."

"I know I should have called more, and I'm sorry," Naruto said.

"It's not that you should have called more, it's that you should have called at all," Sasuke told him. "I thought you were mad at me. I kept calling you and you just ignored it—except for that time you saw it and sent it to voicemail."

"Sasuke, I don't want to do this right now," Naruto complained. "I'm tired from the drive, and we still have this party. Besides, I have great news."

"Can't you give me one real reason why you didn't talk to me at all?" Sasuke asked, ignoring his boyfriend.

"So we _are_ gonna do this right now," Naruto muttered. "You really know how to kill a mood, Sasuke."

"Sorry if I killed your mood, but while you were in Uzushio having too much fun to even call your boyfriend, I was here wondering if you were mad at me, or tired of me, or—"

"Sasuke, how could I be tired of you? I love you, you know that."

"Obviously not as much as I love you, or you wouldn't have ignored me all week," Sasuke told him. Naruto's eyes widened and he shoved Sasuke in anger.

"You fucking asshole, you _know_ I love you," he growled. "I've been very busy this week, I've learned a lot about myself. I came home with some great news that I couldn't wait to share, and instead of wanting to hear it, you decide you want to fight instead. Well, you want to fight Sasuke? Fine, let's fight. I don't want to go to this party with you."

"You're just going to miss Hinata's baby shower?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm still going," Naruto told him. "Just not with you." He didn't even say goodbye as he slammed the still-open door behind him.

Sasuke stood in the silent room wondering what he did. Was this his fault, or Naruto's? Sometimes he couldn't even tell anymore if he was the one who was wrong. _I'm not wrong, Naruto completely ignored me all week. Fuck him._

But at the same time, he felt bad. He really did want to know what good news Naruto had, but he couldn't put his anger aside for a second to ask. When he'd gone into the room, he had told himself he'd ask Naruto how his trip was and not fight about it tonight. But when Naruto said he missed him, Sasuke couldn't hold it in.

"Fuck," he said to himself. Naruto had to come back. He wasn't dressed for the party yet. Still, something told him that Naruto wouldn't be back. Maybe Sasuke would be spending that night at the mansion instead of with Naruto.

He slowly got dressed in a black suit, choosing a light blue shirt and dark blue tie to go with it. He looked over at his desk, and put on the watch that Naruto had given him a year ago. It was the first gift Naruto had given him, back when he'd thought he was a girl. "No girl wants to date a guy who won't wear a watch," s/he's told him.

He looked at himself in the mirror and ran a hand through his hair. First thing he would do when he saw Naruto was apologize. They were both a little wrong, and he knew Naruto was the more stubborn of the two of them.

page break

Sakura sat on Neji's bed as Neji helped Shikamaru with his bow tie.

"I'm I the only person in the world who can't tie a tie?" Suigetsu complained.

"I like the tie," Sakura said off handedly. "It really makes your eyes pop." Suigetsu was wearing a light grey blazer with a blue shirt and black slacks. The bow tie was silver, but it sparkled with glitter or sequins, Sakura couldn't tell from where she was sitting. Neji was almost Suigetsu's compliment. He wore a black blazer with dark grey slacks. His shirt was a blood red. He didn't wear a tie. The top button was left unbuttoned, and Sakura could see the collar of the white t-shirt he wore underneath.

Sakura herself was wearing a teal sequin mini-skirt, which she bought the other day when she was shopping with Ino. It was closer to green than to blue, which only served to highlight her eyes. Her hair was done up in a bun. She'd made sure to re-dye her hair pink so that her roots wouldn't show tonight.

Ino had chosen a sexy black thing, hoping it could excite Shikamaru into taking her home early for some more private fun. If there was anything Ino knew, it was picking out a sexy outfit to wear. Hinata had waited until the last minute to go shopping. Ino and Sakura had invited her, but she was too bloated.

"What does that mean, 'make my eyes pop'?" Suigetsu asked. "Hinata tells me that all the time. Why does it matter?"

"Ugh just take the compliment, jeez," Sakura muttered. "You're no fun when you're nervous."

"I'm not nervous," Suigetsu insisted loudly. He sighed heavily. "Is it that obvious?"

"I'm just glad I won't be a part of the groom's party for the wedding," Sakura answered.

Neji reached into his blazer and pulled out a silver flask, handing it over to Suigetsu. The father-to-be grabbed it thankfully and took a drink.

"You brought a flask?" Sakura asked disapprovingly.

"This is gonna be a dry party," Neji said with a shrug. "And to be honest, our little group of friends isn't exactly known for uneventful parties."

"Excuse me, but you're the one usually ruining them," Sakura pointed out. "Like that time you told the whole world Suigetsu knocked Hinata up on Halloween."

"Or that time you flipped out on Sasuke and Naruto on Thanksgiving," added Suigetsu.

"It's a good thing we didn't have a Christmas party, who knows what might have happened," Sakura teased.

"I promise I'm gonna behave tonight," Neji said.

"Good," Sakura said with a nod. "Besides, I don't think you're gonna be the one causing drama this time. Sasuke and Naruto have that on lock."

"Why? What's going on with them?" Suigetsu asked.

"Ino told me that Naruto showed up to their house all upset because he got into a fight with Sasuke," Sakura told them. Gossip was her thing. "Apparently, Sasuke was upset because Naruto never called him the entire week he was gone. The first thing he did when he saw Naruto was start a fight."

"I might need to stop somewhere and get a flask too," Suigetsu told Neji. "I don't know if I can handle those two sober."

"Does it feel weird having your ex there?" Sakura asked. Suigetsu was kind of taken aback by the question.

"Not really, I mean he was my friend before we were more than that," Suigetsu said. "Besides, I've moved on now."

"Damn straight," Neji said. "If another guy Hinata loved broke up with her to pine after Sasuke, she might go suicidal on us."

"Whoa whoa whoa, who said love?" Suigetsu asked. "She said she loves me?"

"No, but it's pretty obvious," Neji told him. "Maybe not love, but she certainly likes you a lot more than she used to."

"Why, do you love her?" Sakura pressed.

"I'm not gonna tell you," he told her. "Uh...that's not a yes," he said quickly.

"It's not a no either," she said, pulling out her phone.

"Fuck," he cursed, grabbing the flask back from Neji and taking another swig. "We're refilling this before we go."

"What 'we'?" Neji asked, grabbing it back and putting it back in his blazer. "This is all mine now."

"Gaara's official prediction is that the party will end with you and Hinata yelling at each other," Sakura announced. "He just asked what's the over/under on fights tonight."

"Four," Neji decided.

"I'm gonna go with two," Sakura said, texting Kiba back.

"I'll take the over," Neji said. "Twenty bucks."

"You're on," Sakura decided. "Suigetsu?"

"I'll, uh, take the under," he said. "I certainly hope there aren't three fights."

page break

Sasuke arrived before most of the other guests. Itachi was sitting at the bar talking with Danzo, probably about bar stuff. Sasuke would normally get in on that conversation if it wasn't time for him to interact with his friends.

Suigetsu, Sakura, Neji, Gaara, and Kiba were all there already, talking and having a good time. Kiba was up on the small stage in the back, singing karaoke to Ne-Yo. Kiba stopped singing when he saw Sasuke.

"Where's Naruto?" he asked. The attention of everyone else, which had been on the singing brunet, was now on Sasuke.

"He'll, erm, be here soon," Sasuke said. "We took two cars."

"Why?" asked Kiba.

"Shut up, Kiba," Sakura said, jumping out of her seat to give Sasuke a hug. "How are you doing Sasuke?" She leaned in to whisper in his ear. Naruto told Ino who told me. If you need to talk..."

"I'm good," he said, pulling away from her. "But thanks. Where's the guest of honor?" He didn't see Hinata anywhere.

"In the bathroom," Suigetsu answered. "Apparently that's where women spend their entire second trimester." He took a swig of a beer. "Want one?" He held up an unopened one.

"That's not funny," Sasuke told him.

"Chill, it's non-alcoholic," Suigetsu said. "I'm not an idiot, jeez."

"That's debatable," Sasuke muttered, holding his hand out for the beer.

"Does that count towards the four?" Neji asked Sakura.

"That's wasn't a fight! It wasn't even an argument."

"They're betting again?" asked Sasuke.

"You know it," Suigetsu answered as they clinked their beers together.

"Ok Kiba, you have to start over again," Gaara said. "Sasuke interrupted."

"But I did _most_ of the song," Kiba complained.

"The dare was to sing a song on the karaoke machine," Gaara insisted. "You didn't sing a whole song. Go again." Kiba grumbled as he restarted the song.

"Truth or dare?" Sasuke asked. "That's how low the party is when I'm not here?"

"Hate to shatter your little world Sasuke, but it's just as low now that you're here," Neji retorted. Kiba began playing the song again, but he barely got through the first verse when the bell chimed, indicating someone else's arrival.

"God dammit," Gaara muttered.

Sasuke turned to see Naruto, Ino, and Shikamaru enter the room. Sasuke walked over to the three of them.

"Can we talk?" he asked Naruto.

"I'm not in the mood to fight right now," Naruto said. His eyes were red and puffy, and Sasuke felt another pang of guilt. They left Sasuke behind, so he walked over to the bar where Itachi and Danzo were laughing.

"I suppose you two wouldn't find it funny if I ordered a scotch on the rocks, huh?" he asked.

"Trouble in paradise?" Itachi asked.

"That obvious?"

"You arrived separately and he barely spoke a word to you just now," Itachi told him. "That shoulder couldn't be colder if he was in Alaska."

"It's partly my fault," Sasuke admitted.

"Well, the least you could do is still enjoy the party for Hinata's sake," Itachi suggested.

"You don't want to be the guy who's sitting in the corner ruining the party," Danzo agreed.

"I'm also kind of waiting for Mom to stop by," Sasuke told them. "I told Kakashi I'd give her another chance."

"How'd he manage to pull that off?" Itachi asked.

"Just a speech about how life is short and blah blah and do I really want to leave things with her like this. And I guess I don't."

"Well, I think it's good," Danzo said. "Family is important. It's the most important thing in life, if you ask me."

Sasuke decided to rejoin the party, if for nothing else than to not be a party pooper. By the time he got back to them, they were all sitting around laughing, drinking various nonalcoholic beverages, and telling funny stories. He took a seat between Hinata and Sakura, on the other side of their group from Naruto.

"And then she asks us if we use _protection_," Kiba practically shouted, waving his arms for emphasis. "It was probably one of the more humiliating experiences of my life."

"Your mother wasn't _that_ bad," Gaara insisted. Kiba gave him a look. "Okay, so she's pretty bad."

"You think that's bad?" Ino asked. "When I brought home my first boyfriend, my father took out his shotgun. He said he was 'cleaning it', and casually mentioned his knife collection." The group laughed.

"You should have seen Shino's face," Naruto said with a loud laugh. Sasuke's chest hurt a bit at how big Naruto's smile was. He knew that he wouldn't be able to smile that big with the way things were.

"Was that the same Shino from our biology class?" Neji asked the blond, who nodded. "He was _so weird_, you went out with him Ino?"

"It was ninth grade!" Ino said defensively. "Besides, when he took off his sunglasses, he had really beautiful eyes."

"We called him bug-eyes," Neji told the group. "Because he always wore sunglasses, and he always asked questions about bugs in class. Granted, it was biology, but still, I'd bet money he has a tank full of bugs in his room or something."

"He did have an ant farm," Ino admitted.

"So you've been in his bedroom?" Naruto teased.

"Not all of us waiting until we were 17 to kiss a boy," Ino teased right back, giving Naruto a blush. He looked shyly at Sasuke.

"Look, you dated bug-eyes," Naruto retorted. "You don't get to act better than anyone ever again."

"At least I didn't date Lee," Ino said, looking at Sakura.

"It was one date, and he's not a bad guy," Sakura asserted.

"Those eyebrows, though," Kiba said with a laugh.

"And that green!" Ino laughed.

"What's wrong with green?" Sakura said, standing up, as if to show off the green skirt.

"That's not an ugly green, and it's not a jumpsuit," Ino said defensively.

"Lee might not have a fashion sense, and he might not be the most attractive guy," Sakura admitted. "And sure, he's over-enthusiastic. But he's a step up from bug-eyes."

"I bet you had no idea who Shino was before Naruto brought him up," Ino accused.

"So?" Sakura said with a shrug.

"I think this should count towards the four," Neji told Suigetsu.

"Agreed."

"Ugh, fine," Sakura said, sitting back and folding her arms. "No one else fight tonight. I want Neji to lose this bet."

"You can't just tell them not to fight," Neji argued.

"Yes I can!" Sakura responded. "Wait, I'm not gonna fight with you. Nice try Neji but I wasn't born yesterday."

"Can we not talk about birth right now?" Hinata asked. "Those lamaze classes are putting the fear of God into me. All I want right now is a c-section."

"My mother told me it's not bad if you have an epidural," Shikamaru told her. "You might even be lucky enough to pass out."

"Lucky me," Hinata muttered.

"Let's go back to talking about exes?" Gaara asked. "Sasuke dated a guy named Haku. Tell them about Haku, Sasuke."

"Fuck you," Sasuke said with a groan. He didn't like to think about his first boyfriend, if he could even call Haku a _boy_friend.

"Who's Haku?" Naruto asked, and Sasuke could hear a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"No one," answered Sasuke.

"Tell us," Suigetsu told him. "Tell us. Tell us." He started a chant, and soon everyone was joining in."

"Fine," Sasuke said with a loud sigh. "Haku was my boyfriend about a year before I met you, Naruto. He liked to crossdress."

"You certainly have a type, don't you Sasuke?" Suigetsu. "Maybe that's why we never worked out, because I don't dress like a girl?" The room fell somewhat quiet until Ino punched him in the arm, and from what Sasuke saw, it hurt. "Ow."

"You asshole," Ino growled.

"No it's fine," Naruto said quickly. "I'm not just gonna pretend it didn't happen."

"He still shouldn't mention it," Ino insisted.

"I don't mind," Naruto insisted.

"I'm glad it happened," Sasuke said. All eyes turned on him, and he suddenly realized how bad that sounded. "Wait, that came out wrong. Obviously the stuff that _caused_ it was bad, and I'm not glad that happened at all. But, just...could you imagine if it didn't happen? We wouldn't all be friends right now? Naruto and I wouldn't be together."

"So we're still together?" asked Naruto. Sasuke chest hurt for a second, hearing Naruto ask that.

"Of course we are," he said. "At least, I think we are. I love you." The other people in the room were looking at them, and Sasuke realized they were the center of attention again. "Naruto, can we go up to my office and talk?" Sasuke saw Ino look at Naruto with concern, but Naruto nodded and stood up, following Sasuke to the door.

"Well, let's go," Neji said to Sakura, standing up.

"Go where?" she asked her boyfriend.

"Those two might start arguing any second now," Neji said. "I won't lose this bet just because they decided to do it in private."

"You're lucky I love eavesdropping," Sakura said, standing up to follow Neji to the door.

"Those two sure know how to be the center of attention," Hinata said. Somehow everyone in the room knew she was talking about Sasuke and Naruto, not Sakura and Neji.

Upstairs, Naruto left the door to the bedroom ajar as Sasuke turned the lights on.

"I'm sorry," both of them said at the same time. "You go first," Naruto said.

"I'm sorry for blowing up at you first thing," Sasuke told him. "I was mad, but I told myself to wait until later to talk about it. I guess I just couldn't hold it in."

"I'm sorry too," Naruto admitted. "I should have called you and talked to you. It's just that I spent all day with my grandfather every day, getting to know him. I never really had a chance to call until late at night, and I figured you didn't need to talk to me at midnight. But I definitely should have texted you a lot anyway, and I'm sorry I didn't. I just needed my time with my grandfather, away from everything else." Naruto looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't.

"I'm sorry I didn't wait to listen to your news," Sasuke said. "It's been bothering me since you left. What happened?"

"It's amazing," Naruto said with a wide smile. "I can't even begin to describe how great it is. It's probably the best news I've ever gotten in my life."

"Don't keep me in suspense," Sasuke told him.

"Kyuubi isn't my father," Naruto said. Sasuke was silent for a moment. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, I heard you," Sasuke said. "I just can't believe it. How do you know this?"

"My grandfather showed me a picture of the man my mother was having an affair with," Naruto said, pulling out his wallet. Inside one of the pockets was a photo, folded over four times. Naruto passed it to Sasuke, who looked at the photo in shock. It was a man who looked very much like Naruto—blonde hair, blue eyes, same facial structure, everything—hugging a redheaded woman very close. The two were smiling at the camera, but the man's attention was on the woman.

There was no denying this man was Naruto's father.

"That's great!" Sasuke exclaimed, pulling Naruto into a hug. "Did you meet him?" He pulled away and saw Naruto's face fall.

"He's dead," Naruto told Sasuke. "My father killed him when I was born with a head of blonde hair and blue eyes. He killed my mother a few months later."

"What a monster," Sasuke said.

"Well, we already knew that, didn't we?" Naruto asked, his eyes brimming with tears. "That man took everything away from me! My mother, my father...my virginity."

"Don't say that," Sasuke said, wiping a tear from Naruto's eyes. "You didn't give him your virginity. He raped you. Virginity is something special that only you can give." He gave Naruto a quick kiss on the lips. "And I'm glad you gave it to me."

"It helps knowing that he wasn't my father, you know?" Naruto asked. "It shouldn't make that much of a difference—he still raped me. Nothing really physically changed."

"Everything changed," Sasuke told him. "Your father didn't rape you, some sick fuck did."

"He must have hated me," Naruto told Sasuke. "The constant reminder that his wife cheated on him."

"He must be a monster then," Sasuke said with a small smile. "No one with a human heart could hate you."

"I love you," Naruto said quietly, leaning his head on Sasuke's shoulder. "I love you just as much as you love me. You're my world, Sasuke."

"I shouldn't have said what I said earlier," Sasuke said. "I know you love me. It just hurt thinking that you were having too good a time to think about me."

"I thought about you all the time," Naruto insisted. "I think you'd like it in Uzushio. It's a lot smaller than Konoha, a lot quieter. Except for the areas near the university, of course."

Sasuke kissed the top of his head. "You ready to go back down?"

"Just give me a minute to stand here with you," Naruto said.

page break

"Kyuubi isn't my father," Naruto voice came. There was silence for a moment. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, I heard you," Sasuke said. "I just can't believe it. How do you know this?"

"My grandfather showed me a picture of the man my mother was having an affair with," Naruto said. Sakura and Neji heard some shuffling, and Neji pulled Sakura away.

"We probably shouldn't be listening anymore," Neji told her quietly. "This is about to get real personal." Sakura nodded in agreement, and the two went through Itachi's office to get to the stairs back to the bar. When they got down, Suigetsu was the first to comment.

"So are they fighting or fucking?" he asked.

"Neither yet, but I'd say fucking is more in their future," Sakura answered, sitting back down. A few minutes later, Sasuke and Naruto rejoined them, sitting next to Suigetsu. He sniffed the air.

"You guys don't smell like sweaty sex," he commented, earning a swat from Sasuke. "Ow, is it National Hit Suigetsu Day?"

"No, it's a local holiday," Gaara answered.

Soon, the party was back to normal, and it was Shikamaru's turn to talk about exes. He chose Temari, his most recent ex, whom Ino expressed a vehement hatred for. Then the group seemed to split in two as Ino, Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata all grouped to talk about the cutest boys (a conversation which Gaara soon joined) and the other guys all grouped to discuss other tidings.

"Is it just me, or is Suigetsu probably the least qualified one of us to be a father, except for maybe Kiba?" Sasuke asked.

"Fuck you," Kiba retorted.

"That's Naruto's job," Sasuke answered back.

"I'm sorry Mr. Alcoholic Who Works At A Bar And Has Major Mommy Issues, I don't know that you're more qualified than me," Suigetsu answered.

"The last thing you and Naruto would need in your lives is a baby," Neji commented. "You two have a monopoly on drama in this town."

"Us?" Sasuke asked. "Isn't it about time you start a scene? It's not a party until you do."

"Shots fired," Kiba muttered under his breath.

"I'm just gonna ignore that," Neji said.

"At least we won't have a scene this time," Suigetsu told them.

"Why, are there usually scenes?" Shikamaru asked.

"You have no idea," Sasuke said, putting the beer up to his lips.

"SASUKE!" shrieked a voice that Sasuke recognized. He groaned, not having heard the bells that ring when the door opens. His mother was marching over to him with a stern look in her eyes, and suddenly the room was quiet.

"What was that about there not being a scene tonight?" Kiba quietly asked Neji.

"What is that in your hand?" she asked angrily. She looked absolutely awful, like she hadn't slept in weeks. Her skin was pale, and her hair looked like she tried to make it look nice but gave up halfway through. She was wearing a long dress with a hoodie over it. Sasuke could see the bags under her eyes.

"Chill out, Mom, it's non alcoholic," Sasuke told her in an angry tone. "If you think I'm stupid enough to drink, that's one thing, but you must think I'm absolutely retarded to drink in front of my friends, my boyfriend, and my brother."

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't realize," Mikoto backtracked.

"But thanks for causing a scene, Mom, we almost went a night without one."

"That's two," Neji told Sakura.

"K-Kakashi said you wanted to talk to me, honey," she said nervously. "Why don't we go outside and talk?"

"I don't want to talk tonight," Sasuke said angrily.

"Kakashi said—"

"That was before you jumped down my throat the second you saw me," Sasuke said. "Please just go, Mom. Maybe I'll stop by the house tomorrow."

She looked like she was going to object, but thought better of it. "I'm sorry Sasuke, I hope to see you tomorrow." She practically ran out of the bar.

Kakashi, who had driven her and had been standing well away from her, gave Sasuke a disappointed look before following her out of the bar. Itachi followed them out too, presumably to talk to their mother. His friends all seemed to look at Sasuke.

"Well, that's over, we can get back to the fun," he said angrily. He felt Naruto's hand on his shoulder. Naruto led him away from the group, closer to the front of the bar. Danzo seemed to have made himself scarce, so the two were alone.

"I'm pouring you a drink," he told Naruto, walking behind the counter.

"Sasuke—"

"I can't drink, so you're gonna have one for me," he told his boyfriend, putting a glass on the table. He pulled out a bottle of bourbon and started pouring. When he finished, Naruto reached his hand out, but Sasuke picked it up first. He put it up to his nose and smelled it. The smell was strong and good. He wanted it so bad.

He pressed the glass to his lips, and could feel a bit of liquid touch his lips. He closed his eyes.

"Sasuke," Naruto repeated, breaking him out of the trance that Sasuke was under. He opened his eyes and put the glass back on the bar. But he couldn't let go. He wanted it. He _needed _it. The alcohol was a monster, and now that he was there, holding it in his hand, completely in control, the monster was rearing its ugly head again.

"I know," he told Naruto weakly. "I know. I can't drink it." He still didn't let go. "But I need it."

"You don't need it," Naruto said, putting his hand on top of Sasuke's. "You're stronger than this."

"I'm not, though," Sasuke whispered, on the verge of tears. He didn't realize how much he missed this, the feeling of the glass in his hand, the smell of the liquor. "I'm not strong."

He thought about everything. His mother. His future. The fight with Naruto. His uncle's suicide. His little brother, who'd died before he was born. He thought of Neji's uncle who paid to keep his mother prisoner in a compound in New York.

He thought about all his friends, who were so happy. He felt like he was being left behind. Neji and Sakura were together. So were Hinata and Suigetsu. Gaara had Kiba, and Ino had Shikamaru. He had Naruto, but Naruto hadn't been there for him the last week, when things were getting worse. Naruto had left Sasuke behind to meet his family.

And it was ridiculous. Sasuke knew that in his head. Naruto didn't leave him or abandon him. He was supportive through everything, just as Sasuke had been last year when Naruto needed support. And his friends weren't leaving him behind either. But there was still a part of him, and he couldn't tell whether it was his mind, his gut, or his heart, that felt so alone.

And maybe that bourbon would fill that spot up.

"Sasuke," Naruto said, breaking Sasuke out of his trance once more. "You're strong. You're the strongest person I know."

Sasuke shook his head. "A strong person wouldn't need this so much."

"A weak person wouldn't let go," Naruto said. He eased Sasuke's hand off the glass, and moved them to rest on top of the bar, with Naruto's hands still holding them.

"You made me let go," Sasuke told him.

"I didn't make you do anything, I _helped_," Naruto corrected him. "Even the strongest people need help sometimes."

"I don't deserve you," Sasuke told him. "If it wasn't for me, you'd be so much happier. All I do is cause drama. Gaara doesn't have to deal with that with Kiba. Neji doesn't have to deal with that with Sakura."

"Yet Sakura is stuck with Neji, who has his own issues with his uncle," Naruto pointed out. "And Hinata has her share of daddy-issues too. I love you, Sasuke, drama and all. Besides, I held the monopoly on drama for a long time before, don't forget that."

Sasuke looked at the bourbon. Naruto let go of his hands and grabbed the glass. He walked behind the bar to dump it into the sink. "You sure you want to be around this all the time?"

"I'm not sure of anything," Sasuke admitted. "I feel so lost."

"Let me find you," Naruto asked, pulling Sasuke into a hug.

Naruto pulled Sasuke into a deep kiss, which was broken when their friends began catcalling and whistling. Sasuke turned around to see them all standing, holding glasses of something.

"I think it's time for a toast," Naruto said, pouring him and Sasuke some water from the tap. "To Hinata and her baby."

"Cheers," everyone said, raising a glass. Everyone took a drink.

"To the father," Sasuke added, lifting his water.

"Here, here," Neji said, and the room drank again.

"To not being single anymore," Ino raised her glass. "For all of us."

"I can drink to that," Sakura said, pinching Neji on the butt.

Everyone was laughing when the sound of the bells at the door rang out. Sasuke looked, expecting to see Itachi or Danzo, or maybe Kakashi or Mikoto. Instead, all he saw was a stranger in black sweatpants and a dark blue sweater and a tan overcoat.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we're closed for a private event," Sasuke told the man, walking around the bar towards the door. The man reached into his overcoat, and Sasuke was the first to see the gun.

He tried to yell a warning, but he couldn't think of what to say before the sound of a gunshot rang, and someone thudded to the ground.

**Author's Note: Duhn Duhn Duuuuuuuhn. I very rarely do cliff hangers like this, so I thought this was a great way to end the chapter. It's also the last time we get to have just some light-hearted filler scenes with some of the background characters, so I decided to visit them all while they got ready for the baby shower. It actually might be the last time we see some of these characters until the epilogue.**

**I also really enjoyed the scenes at the party. It might be the first time I put all of them in a room and just let them be regular college students, talking and laughing and having fun.**

**Finally, I want to get some input on the sequel, **Not Just Another Murder Mystery Story**. I have the rough outline down and I need to take a while to just fine-tune the details in the end, but I'm just about ready to go with it as soon as this story is finished (which hopefully won't be for too long). I want to know if you guys want me to start posting immediately, to build up some chapters so that I won't go months/years without updating, or just finish the story before posting it. Please leave a review to let me know. I also have the idea of a series of six one-shots that will tie into this story, which I would post beforehand. Shoot me a review and let me know.**


	42. Not What It Once Was

**Disclaimer: 42 chapters in, if you still think I own Naruto, I don't know that another witty disclaimer will change your mind.**

**Author's Note: One week between updates? What is this, 2012?**

Chapter Forty-Two: Not What it Once Was

It was March, but the night was still cold. Itachi regretted chasing after his mother without putting on his jacket. He'd caught up to her and Kakashi down the block, but their conversation was long, and he was nearly shivering by the end of it.

"I can't seem to do anything right with him," Mikoto said miserably. "I keep trying to do the right thing and it keeps blowing up in my face."

"You shouldn't have jumped to conclusions," Itachi warned her. "But I'm sure Sasuke understands why you did. He's just embarrassed because you did that in front of his friends. It won't change anything. He does love you."

"I'm gonna drown my sorrows in ice cream," Mikoto decided, looking up at the sign for Cold Stone. They had a pretty large one right across the street from Mangekyo.

The mention of ice cream was enough to make Itachi shiver. "Kakashi, why don't you come back to the bar and have a drink with me?"

Kakashi looked at his watched and sighed. "Yeah, I've got time." He turned to Mikoto. "Get me a large cup of chocolate chip cookie dough. I'll be there soon. Mikoto crossed the street, as Kakashi and Itachi turned around to head back to the bar. "I'm worried about Sasuke."

"Story of our lives right now, right?" Itachi joked.

"Not about the alcohol, though god help that boy should he relapse again," Kakashi added the last part under his breath. "No, I'm just talking about in general. He doesn't seem very happy."

"I see it too," Itachi agreed. "I didn't really notice it until Mom was back, but it was there before."

"I think his life has been a long period of unhappiness with minor bits of happiness sprinkled in," said Kakashi. "If it wasn't for Naruto, I don't even want to think how bad things would be for him. He should have never stopped seeing that psychiatrist."

"He hasn't really," Itachi said. "I'm pretty sure he and Mom went to see him a couple of weeks ago. And I think Sasuke's had an appointment in the last week."

"Maybe we should go with him some time," Kakashi suggested. "It would give us a chance to talk with his doctor, and give some context to some of some of Sasuke's issues." The wind picked up, and Itachi shivered again. The streetlight overhead went out, shrouding their part of the sidewalk in darkness.

Itachi noticed a car pull up in front of Mangekyo, and a man wearing a brown overcoat got out of the car and walked to the bar. "It's closed," Itachi yelled down the street, but the man paid no word and opened the door anyway. "Is he deaf?" Itachi asked as they picked up their pace. When the gunshot rang out, Itachi and Kakashi broke into a run.

When they got to the door, the man turned to run, gun still in hand. Itachi tackled him to the ground and made a grab for the gun.

"Naruto, call the police," Kakashi instructed when he entered the bar. Sasuke was soon outside, helping Itachi wrestle the gun out of the man's hand. Itachi had his arm around the man, putting him in a choke hold. Sasuke held his arm down and bent his wrist, forcing the gun to point to the parked cars outside.

With a grunt, the man elbowed Itachi in the gut with his free hand, and Itachi recoiled, giving the man the perfect moment to get out of the chokehold. Itachi heard Kakashi ordering directions to the teenagers inside the bar ("Give him some room. Sakura, apply pressure to stop the bleeding. Can you hear me, boy?") as he gasped for air.

The man used his free arm to punch Sasuke in the face, giving him the moment to run. Itachi stood to chase after him, but the man ran right back to the car that was sitting, parallel parked in front of the bar with his blinkers on. He jumped inside the getaway car, and pulled it closed as Itachi reached the car, clawing at the window and tugging at the locked door. The man gave a smirk as the car accelerated and pulled away.

"GBE-734," Itachi murmered, reading the license plate. "GBE-734. GBE-734." He kept repeating it like it was his job. When the police arrived, it would go a great deal to have the license plate of the getaway car.

He entered the bar, ignoring everyone else's questions and screams and concerns as he searched for a pen and a piece of paper. "GBE-734. GBE-734." He found a pen, but no paper, so he wrote it on the back of his hand. Only then did he look up at the rest of the room.

Kisame's brother, Suigetsu, was the one who was shot. He was bleeding on the floor, with Sakura holding a towel on his chest, trying to stop the bleeding. _He was shot in the chest._ _Fuck._ The rest of the room was in chaos. Naruto and Gaara took Hinata away from Suigetsu's body. She was hyperventilating, and Itachi wondered briefly if this would cause her to miscarry. _No, better not think like that._

"He got away," he told Kakashi and Sasuke, who were both standing by the door. "I got the license plate, though." He showed them his hand. "What happened?"

"The guy just came in, pulled out the gun, and shot him," Sasuke said, panic in his voice. "What the fuck!" It wasn't a question.

Just then, Neji joined them. "This wasn't an accident," he said in a quiet voice.

"What do you mean?" asked Kakashi.

"He came in armed, pointed it straight at Suigetsu, shot, and left," Neji said. "This was deliberate."

"Why would he want to kill Suigetsu?" Sasuke asked. "I've never seen this guy before in my life."

"I didn't say that _he_ wanted to kill Suigetsu," Neji said. "Maybe someone with a lot of money wanted Suigetsu dead.

"But who—" Sasuke stopped talking. "You don't think..." he trailed off, giving Neji a meaningful look.

"I wouldn't put it past him," Neji told Sasuke. "He's obviously been involved with really shady people before."

"Who are you guys talking about?" Itachi asked, confused by the whole situation. He heard police sirens from a distance.

"Suigetsu was blackmailing Hinata's father," Sasuke told them. "He had proof that Hiashi's company financed the people who were helping Madara hold Mom in New York."

Itachi recalled his meeting with his PI, Yamato, earlier. Yamato was investigating why the charges against Hashirama Senju, the doctor who used illegal drugs on their mother, were dropped. He linked the DA to the Mangekyo Industries corporation, but one large question was how they were able to finance it. Now it all made sense.

"I've gotta go," Neji said, pushing past Itachi and Kakashi. Kakashi grabbed his wrist.

"The police are going to need your statement," he told Neji.

"They'll get it," Neji said, pulling his wrist from Kakashi's grasp. "But first, I need to get my father's statement." He rushed out the door towards his car.

Moments later, the ambulance was there, and the police right behind them. The paramedics rushed in and began to lift Suigetsu onto a gourney. As they brought Suigetsu out, two officers came in.

"What happened here?" the first one, a tall man with red hair, asked.

"Can we please go to the hospital?" Sasuke asked. "Someone should be with him."

"Are any of you family?" the other officer, a lanky blonde, asked. _Family_, Itachi thought. He needed to call Kisame. He excused himself and pulled out his phone while everyone else handled the situation.

"The young girl in the back," Kakashi said, pointing to Hinata. "She's pregnant. The victim is the father. She needs to see a doctor too."

"Let's take her out to the paramedics then," the blonde officer said, walking towards the back. She put an arm around Hinata's shoulder, and Ino put one around her other shoulder. They helped walk Hinata outside to the ambulance.

"We'll give our statements at the hospital," Sasuke insisted.

"We can give them now," Kakashi told his godson. He turned to the redheaded cop. "I don't have much to say. Itachi and I," he said, indicating Itachi, who was talking to Kisame on the phone, "were walking down the street when we saw a man walk up to the bar. We heard a gunshot, and we came back in time to see him trying to run away. These two," he pointed between Sasuke and Itachi, "tried to stop him from running, but he got away."

"Kisame's on his way to the hospital," Itachi announced, hanging up. "I have the license plate of the getaway car. GBE-734."

The redheaded officer reached down to his walkie-talkie and pressed a button. "Put an APB out, license plate GBE-734." He released the button. "What type of car?"

"Looked like an SUV, black." The officer repeated the description into the walkie-talking.

"We're going to need statements from all of you," he told the room as the blonde rejoined him. "When you're done, you can leave."

It was agonizing for Sasuke, the waiting. After taking Kakashi's name and phone number, the blonde moved on to Itachi, while the rehead talked to Sakura. Finally, after Itachi gave his statement, the blonde moved on to Sasuke, who recounted his story.

"You should go to the hospital to and get that eye looked at," the blonde told him. The shooter had punched him in the eye during the escape, but Sasuke couldn't feel anything.

"Go on without me," Naruto urged him. "I took a different car anyway."

Sasuke walked towards the door when he decided he needed something. Itachi was gone, so he couldn't ask his brother if they still had a handgun under the bar. _Who knows if Hiashi will target the people Suigetsu told, too?_ Sasuke knew about Hiashi's illicit dealings, which might make him a target.

He walked behind the bar and looked under, where the bottles of alcohol all were. He reached under and felt around a bit before he felt cool metal. He pulled the small handgun out from the shelf and made sure it wasn't empty. He put it in his pocket and high-tailed it out of the bar.

The ride to the hospital was a blur for Sasuke. He'd left the handgun sitting in his glove box while he rushed inside. A nurse directed him to the emergency room waiting room, where he found Itachi, Kisame, and Sakura all waiting.

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked.

"They're operating on Suigetsu," Itachi told him. "Hinata passed out from the stress, but the doctors are looking after her and the baby."

"I can't believe this is happening," Sakura said, her voice shaking. "W-Who would want to kill Suigetsu?" She was on the verge of tears. Itachi looked up at Sasuke, who made eye contact. He nodded his head to Kisame, who was sitting with his head in his hands. Itachi shook his head. _So he didn't tell Kisame about Hiashi._ That was good.

The others soon started to arrive. Gaara and Kiba, then Naruto, then Ino and Shikamaru, and finally, Kakashi and Mikoto arrived with some coffee and donuts.

"I have a feeling we're all gonna be here a while," Kakashi said.

Mikoto ran up to Sasuke the second she saw him, pulling him into a deep hug. "I'm so glad you're okay." Sasuke could feel himself starting to cry and he returned the hug.

* * *

Hinata was okay. The baby was okay.

It turned out, that by the time she was taken away by the paramedics, things were bad for her. She was having contractions, and screaming in pain. And for someone only twenty-two weeks pregnant, early labor was bad.

The doctors spent a lot of time with her, and they concluded that it was a case of false labor, brought on by the stress. Hinata was to be kept in the hospital for a few days, and she would be confined to bedrest until the baby came, but she'd be fine, and so would her son.

Sasuke was the first person she asked for, after Neji. When he went into her room, the sight of Hinata scared him. She was so pale, and she looked like something death passed over. Sasuke immediately took her hand in his.

"Suigetsu..." she whispered. "How's Suigetsu?"

"He's still in surgery," Sasuke told her. "But they got the bullet out. That means there's a good chance he'll be ok."

"Where's..." she took a breath, winded. "Where's Neji?"

Sasuke hesitated for a moment. "I don't know," he lied.

"What happened to him? Is he okay? What if someone goes after him too—"

"No one's going after Neji," Sasuke assured her. "I promise you, he's fine. He went to take care of something."

"What could be more important than this?" she asked, tears in her eyes. "I need him now."

"Why don't I go out in the hallway and call him?" Sasuke suggested. Hinata nodded, and leaned her head back, relieved. "Everyone's going to want to see you now. They're relieved about the baby."

"Someone has to stay out there and wait for news about Suigetsu," she told him.

"I'll be there," he promised, leaving the room. Naruto, Ino, and Sakura were waiting outside for him, and he was immediately accosted by them with questions.

"Is she okay? Can we go in?" Sakura asked.

"She's just tired right now, but you can go in," Sasuke said. The girls left Sasuke and Naruto behind. Naruto pulled Sasuke into a hug. They'd been at the hospital for over an hour at this point, and Sasuke was beginning to be tired.

"Where did Neji run off to after he gave his statement?" Naruto wondered. He must not have realized that Neji left before then. Sasuke didn't answer him, just held him tighter.

After a moment, he pulled out his phone and dialed Neji. It went straight to voicemail. Sasuke bit his lip and put the phone back in his pocket.

"I'm going to find him," Sasuke decided. Neji had been gone long enough that it was beginning to worry Sasuke.

"I'm going with you," Naruto said.

"No," Sasuke told him, shaking his head "It's too dangerous." Naruto furrowed his brow in confusion.

"You're not telling me something," he realized. "Sasuke, where's Neji?"

"I'll tell you another time," Sasuke said, pulling away from his boyfriend.

"You're gonna tell me now," Naruto insisted.

"It's better if you don't know, but I _promise_, I'll tell you later."

"Sasuke—"

"I love you, Naruto," Sasuke told him, cupping his face and giving him a deep kiss.

"I love you too, Sasuke, but—"

"Trust me," Sasuke told him. "I'll be back later."

Sasuke didn't get very far before Itachi found him.

"I know this is a bad time, little brother," he said, putting a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "But I have to go out of town for a couple of days."

All thoughts about Neji were gone from Sasuke's head. Suddenly, confusion washed over him. "Where are you going?" he demanded.

"I have business to take care of in New York," Itachi told him. "I'm going to get to the bottom of why the charges against Hashirama Senju were dropped. I've been planning this for a couple of weeks."

"Then why didn't you tell me before now?" Sasuke demanded. He suddenly realized that Itachi's PI had finally gotten him Tobi's address. That must be where Itachi was heading. "Itachi don't go there. Don't get mixed up in it."

"In what?" Itachi asked.

"I'm not an idiot," Sasuke said harshly. "Tobi is bad news. He's _the mob_. One of Uncle Madara's old associates."

"How do you know that?" Itachi asked Sasuke with narrow eyes.

"Because you're easy to snoop on," Sasuke said, abandoning all pretense. He couldn't let his brother paint a target on his back by confronting some mob don. "Itachi, please don't go. We have Mom back, she's alive. Can't we just count this as a win and move on?" He saw a very rare flare of anger in Itachi's eyes.

"Senju used Mother to experiment illegal drugs on and kept her away from us for over ten years," he said, his voice steadily rising. "Tobi helped it along, and Hiashi Hyuga bankrolled all of it. I'm not going to just let them get away with what they've done. If Uncle Madara was here, he'd be at the top of that list, but he's already taken care of that for me."

"Itachi, _please_," Sasuke begged. "We just got Mom back. What if Tobi decides he's better off with you dead? What if he decides he's better off rid of all of us? We're finally safe."

"_No one's safe_, Sasuke," Itachi yelled. "Suigetsu is dying on an operating table right now because of Hiashi Hyuga, and I just _know_ that Tobi is just as involved. For all we know, Hiashi tipped off Tobi, and Tobi was the one who actually sent that thug after Suigetsu. How long before he sends one after you, or me, or Kakashi? _We know what they did_. You know what that makes us for these mobsters? It makes us loose ends."

"So what's your plan?" Sasuke asked, his temper being spurred on by Itachi's. "You're just gonna go in there and yell at him?"

"Someone needs to find out what Tobi knows about us," Itachi said. "Sasuke, you're my little brother. I'm going to New York to protect you. To protect our family." He didn't leave any room for arguing. He started to walk away, but Sasuke knew he couldn't let him go.

"What if you don't come back?" he asked. Itachi turned around and gave Sasuke a long look. "We're playing a dangerous game, little brother. But I promise you, I'll be back." He left Sasuke standing alone in the hallway, thinking about everything.

Sasuke couldn't stop Itachi, not if Itachi was dead set on this. He could tell Kakashi and Mikoto, but he wasn't even sure they would be able to dissuade his brother. He remembered the gun in his car, and knew he had one job.

* * *

Dying sucks.

Suigetsu couldn't really tell what was going on right now. He had no sense of time or space. He felt a faraway pain in his chest, and a throbbing in his head, but other than that, he felt fine.

He couldn't see anything, at least not in the tradition sense of "seeing". He couldn't really feel much beyond those distant pains and aches. He couldn't really hear, or smell, or taste. He just felt dreamy, but not like he was asleep. He felt...transcendental. Is that even a word?

When people say their life flashes before their eyes in the moment before death, they're wrong. Well, not really wrong, so much as...not right. It wasn't like he suddenly had flashbacks of memories. He didn't see himself getting on the bus for his first day of school, or having his first kiss.

He felt feelings. That was what was flashing back to him. Every feeling he'd ever felt in his life, from happiness to sadness to anger to pessimism, from pleasure to pain, from disgust to despair. Some of those feelings were associated with memories, but he couldn't really place them. He tried to summon them to his mind, but they were fleeting, like a dream in the moments after you wake up.

Had it all been a dream?

He had felt anger. Anger at his parents, anger at Kisame, anger at life. He'd felt anger at Karin, that girl from his high school. He'd felt anger towards Neji and Hiashi, who were supposed to be his in-laws in a few months. He'd felt anger at himself.

He had felt love. He loved his mom and dad, before they were tragically taken from him in his childhood. He loved his brother, who did his best to take care of him all his life. He'd felt love for other people, too. He'd fallen in love with Sasuke at one point, or at least he thought he had. Now, it was someone else who had caught his interest. Did he love Hinata? He couldn't picture her face, or recall any specific memory, but he felt love when he thought her name.

He had felt depression at one point. Back in high school when he was mostly friendless, and his brother had more time for his friends than for Suigetsu. He'd ended up becoming the class clown, trying to get any sort of attention from his peers that he could get. He'd felt depression again after Sasuke broke things off with him. He'd filled _that_ void with as much kinky, anonymous sex as he could.

He had felt ashamed on more than one occasion. During his mother's funeral, he had cried so hard that his father told Kisame to take him outside. He'd felt ashamed about that for a long time. When his father died, he didn't let himself shed a single tear.

He had felt lust. It was probably one of the stronger emotions he could recall. Names floated in his mind, conquests he had. Starting with his neighbor when he was fourteen, and ending with Hinata Hyuga.

He'd felt friendship, mostly in that last year of his life. Sasuke and Jugo, and then everyone else when he went to college. Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, Neji, Hinata, Gaara, Kiba, and even Naruto, the kid he'd tried to hate for a while.

During the course of his life, when he'd experienced these emotions and feelings, they'd never overwhelmed him. But in death, they hit him like a wave, all at once. And he was being pulled under the tide. He could barely breathe, which was fitting considering where he was.

He didn't really know _why_ he was dying. He couldn't remember any memories. He thought he might have been shot, but he could have been stabbed. He wasn't sure. But why was he shot? He didn't feel fear in the last moments, he knew that much. It must have been a shock.

He'd always thought near-death experiences were, well, like the movies. A guy is sent to the cosmic planes where he can see his life, or maybe meet dead loved ones. He thought there would be a light, or even a darkness. But this was neither, or maybe it was both. It was neither and both at the same time.

He had a nagging feeling that he had a lot left to say. He wished he could remember something so that he'd know _what_ he had left to say.

He was surprised that there was no fear in him right now. There was fear in that wave that kept hitting him, but he didn't feel afraid. Maybe death was what he was supposed to do now. Had he lived a full life? He must have, if he wasn't afraid to die.

He wondered if they'd miss him...his brother, and that girl he loved. Damn, he couldn't even remember their names anymore. Slowly, the rest started to leave him. The emotions which had seemed overwhelming a second ago (if it was a second, there was no time for him right now), the names, the thoughts. They all abandoned that person who couldn't even remember his own name.

He was nothing now. No memories, no emotions, no thoughts, nothing.

Except the pain.

If he could think, he'd probably assume the pain was the last thing keeping him tethered to the mortal world. And it might have been. It seemed like he didn't exist anymore, but that pain was still there.

And suddenly, he started to exist again. He remembered his name. He remembered his feelings for that girl. He remembered Hinata's name. He remembered what her face looked like. He remembered their first night together, he remembered the day he found out he was engaged to her, he remembered the tender moment they'd shared on New Year's Eve.

He remembered his family. His brother Kisame, and his parents. He remembered his childhood, before his family was torn apart. He felt laughter as he recalled one of the jovial memories of his youth.

With the memories came the pain. The pain, which had at one point been a faraway, dull ache, had been growing steadily. It was there, and soon, he couldn't even think about his family, or Hinata, or his friends. Soon, all he could think about was how _bad_ it hurt, and he wished he would just die already.

Then, the light that he'd been expecting to see that whole time finally arrived. He was relieved, maybe the pain would end now. He ran towards the light, and found himself staring up at a white ceiling.

"He's awake!"

* * *

Neji pulled into the Hyuga mansion's driveway, almost blind with rage. He'd never had rose-colored glasses when it came to his uncle, but he didn't realize until now that his uncle was truly _evil_.

A small part of him still clung to the hope that his uncle wasn't responsible. But the rational part of him knew that wasn't true. That shooter had come into the bar with the express intent to kill Suigetsu. There was no one who could have hated Suigetsu enough personally, except for maybe Hiashi.

Hiashi, who Suigetsu had blackmailed. Hiashi, who had been beaten at his own game by someone less clever than him. Hiashi, who had nothing to lose and everything to gain if Suigetsu was killed.

The mansion was eerily quiet when Neji went in. Hiashi obviously wasn't home, the lights were all out. It might have been for the best. Neji walked slowly through the house, without turning any of the lights on. He came to the door to his uncle's office and let himself in.

Leaving the lights off, he sat down in his uncle's leather chair, one which no one was permitted to sit in, save the head of the household. Neji felt an immense power just sitting there. He opened his uncle's drawers and started looking through them for the gun he knew would be there somewhere. He wanted his uncle to fear for his life.

His fingers wrapped around the cool metal, and he placed it on the desk in front of him, facing the door. And then he waited.

It was another half hour at least before Hiashi finally arrived. Neji heard the car outside, pulling into the driveway. He heard the front door open and close in the otherwise silent house. He heard his uncle talking, probably to either their butler who acted as his personal chauffer, or perhaps on the phone.

The light outside of the office turned on, and a couple seconds later, Neji heard the doorknob turn. He placed his hand on the gun.

His uncle had, indeed, been on the phone. When he turned the light on and saw Neji sitting in his chair, an angry expression on his face and a gun on the desk, he jumped in surprise.

"I'm going to have to do, Mr. Takagawa," he said stiffly, hanging up his phone. "What are you doing at my desk?" he asked his nephew with a cold expression.

"I'm going to be asking the questions tonight," Neji said in a calm voice, wrapping his fingers around the handle of the gun. "Do you know what happened earlier?"

"Obviously something that put you in a very bad mood," Hiashi said dryly.

"We were at a baby shower for Hinata," Neji informed his uncle. "We were all there, Sasuke, Sakura, Gaara...even Suigetsu."

"I'm not surprised that mongrel would be leeching on to any occasion to get a present," Hiashi commented.

"There were no presents tonight," Neji said, his voice becoming dangerously low. "But something very bad happened at the end of the party." He waited to see if his uncle would give up the ghost, but that wasn't looking likely. "Someone came into the bar and shot Suigetsu."

"Good," Hiashi said with a glare. "That boy was no good for anyone in this family. We will all be better off with him dead."

"He's not dead, uncle," Neji said, although he couldn't know that. At this point, he couldn't stand to let his uncle know he won. "But someone died." _That_ got the response from Hiashi that Neji was looking for. His brows burrowed in confusion. "Hinata was right next to Suigetsu when he was shot."

"Hinata," his uncle breathed. And for a second, he didn't seem like a monster. But Neji knew he was.

"Hinata's going to be alright, at least physically," Neji told her uncle. "Mentally is another story. I'm not sure how well she'll handle the miscarriage." His uncle's face showed more emotion—fear, anger, sadness—than Neji had ever remembered seeing in it. "You killed your own grandson," he accused.

"I-I didn't do any of this," Hiashi said immediately, composing himself. "You said someone shot him."

"It was as if someone was _paid_ to shoot him," Neji said, leaning back in the chair. "And I wonder who would have the motive and means to arrange for a hit."

"I wasn't the one who put the hit out," Hiashi said.

"So you admit there was a hit," Neji said, sitting straighter in the chair and raising the gun. "If you didn't put it out there, who did?"

"Your friend made a lot of enemies when he tried to blackmail me," Hiashi said pointedly. "Hopefully now he'll learn—as will you, and all your other friends—that there are things you shouldn't meddle in. I made some associates aware of a liability, and they took it from there."

"I hope you're proud of yourself," Neji said, standing up, keeping the gun aimed on his uncle. "You killed your own grandson, you could have killed your own daughter. Was it worth it?"

"I had no way of knowing any of this would happen," Hiashi said defensively. "Why wasn't I informed Hinata was in the hospital? I'm her father, damn it!"

"You're a monster, is what you are," Neji said. He wondered whether it would be worth it to pull that trigger. He could do it so easily.

"That golddigger was ruining this family," Hiashi shouted. "He would have extorted our family into the poorhouse had I not taken this action. I did what any father would do."

"You decided to _murder_ someone!" Neji yelled. "Suigetsu was a good man! He was doing his best to do right by Hinata and the baby, and he had not asked you for a _single cent_!"

"It was only a matter of time," Hiashi told him. "He already extorted me into giving him a house, into giving him a job. The little shit might have been noble enough now while I was taking care of all of Hinata's medical bills, but what about after? What about when he would be responsible for diapers and day care and a decent school? How long before he takes more and more from us?"

"He took _nothing_ from us!" Neji yelled. "_You're_ the one who takes things away. You take and you take and it still doesn't satisfy you! You couldn't just let him win, and be a decent human being." He took a few steps closer to his uncle. "You're more than just a monster. You're _greedy_ and _cruel_, and too prideful for your own fucking good! You're the _devil_."

"How dare you talk to me like that!" Hiashi roared. "I am your uncle, and while you live under my roof—"

"You should talk more softly to someone who has a gun," Neji warned in a soft voice.

"You won't shoot me," Hiashi challenged. "You're too weak."

"You're starting to make me wonder what I'm capable of," Neji answered.

"If you're going to shoot me," Hiashi said, taking a step forward, "then shoot me." He took another step, pressing his chest against the barrel of the gun.

Neji's face contorted in rage at his uncle's smug expression, and he wanted nothing more than to just _do it_. He could end it all right here. End the pain, end the evil. His uncle was the devil.

Instead, he pulled his arm back at hit Hiashi over the head with the gun.

Hiashi cursed as he fell back, having not expected it. He growled in an uncharacteristically undignified manner before charging at Neji and tackling him to the ground. Neji grunted as he felt his uncle's weight on top of him. He rolled over so he was on top, but Hiashi did the same. The gun was out of Neji's hand now, lying on the floor out of arm's reach.

He reached his arms out for the gun as his uncle wrapped his hands around his throat.

"You're an ungrateful brat who is doing all he can to ruin the family!" Hiashi bellowed. "How _dare_ you talk down to me! I _built_ our family from the ground up."

Neji couldn't reach the gun, and gave up trying. He felt the airflow cut off, and knew he was going to die. He started to claw at Hiashi's face, dragging his fingernails down his uncle's face. He pulled and punched, but it was of no use. He didn't have much time before he passed out, so he did the only thing he could think.

He spat in his uncle's face.

Hiashi let go of Neji's throat to smack his nephew across the face. He tried to resume choking Neji, but his nephew had already taken a deep breath of air. As Hiashi's hands wrapped around Neji's throat again, Neji pulled his fist back and let it fly. He felt Hiashi's nose crunch under his fist, and his uncle howled in pain.

He took the opportunity to take control of the fight now, pushing Hiashi to the ground and wrapping his hands around his uncle's throat.

"I'll be doing the world a favor by ending you," he said as his uncle's face turned purple. His uncle, in turn tried clawing at Neji's face, tried pulling Neji's long hair, but Neji didn't let go. And soon, Hiashi's arms went limp, and Neji let go. His uncle's eyes had closed, and Neji didn't know whether he was passed out or dead. He was surprised to realize he didn't care.

He took a deep breath and stood up, looking over his uncle's body. He took two steps towards the gun to pick it up when he felt a hand around his ankle, and his leg was pulled out from under him. The bastard had been faking!

Neji reached out to the gun, but his fingers could barely brush it. Hiashi started pulling his legs closer, and soon Hiashi was on top of him again. Neji elbowed him in the gut, but he didn't stop moving. Hiashi tried to punch him, but Neji grabbed his arm and bit down. He could feel himself breaking skin as Hiashi punched him across the face.

Neji knew his only chance for self-defense was the gun, but Hiashi also knew it was the only way he would win the fight. They both lunged for it at the same time, and it was Neji who had it. He fumbled to turn off the safety when Hiashi grabbed it and twisted it away.

The two were wrestling over the gun, fighting for control on the floor of Hiashi's office, when the shot rang out.

* * *

Sasuke had a bad feeling in the pit of his gut. About everything. He had a bad feeling about Neji. He had a bad feeling about Itachi. He had a bad feeling about Suigetsu. Things twenty-four hours ago seemed to be so much less dangerous. There was drama, but Sasuke didn't fear for everyone's life. Now, Sasuke wasn't sure who's life _not _to be fearful for.

He drifted as he pulled into the circular driveway of the Hyuga mansion. He saw Neji's car there, but Hiashi's townhouse was there as well. Neji had been MIA for over an hour now, so Sasuke wasn't sure what to expect.

He shut the car off and grabbed the gun out of his glove compartment. He didn't even bother to close his door as he raced into the mansion, following the path the lights made for him. The only lights that were on in the whole house led him to Hiashi's office, where he saw Neji and Hiashi on the ground, wrestling over something Sasuke couldn't see.

Neji and Hiashi both looked awful from this fight. Neji's hair was all over the place, and Sasuke saw tufts of it on the floor. He was bleeding from his mouth, and had bruises along his neck. Hiashi didn't fare much better, with four long claw marks on his right cheek, a broken and bloody nose, and equally tangled hair.

Sasuke soon realized what they were fighting over—a gun! He couldn't let Neji get shot. Would Hinata be able to handle that happening to Neji too? He raised his gun and aimed at Hiashi's desk, less than a foot away from where Hiashi's head was. He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

Hiashi had let go of the gun and scooted back a few feet, dazed and confused. Neji wasn't much better. He was feeling himself for signs of a bullet wound before looking up and seeing Sasuke.

"What are you doing here?" Neji said, pointing his gun on Hiashi. Sasuke joined him.

"You were gone too long," Sasuke answered. "Normally someone would say thank you."

"Thanks," Neji said, wiping some blood off his mouth.

"Did he confess?" Sasuke asked, glaring at the man.

"He had a business associate put the hit out," Neji told him. "Or at least that's his story."

"A business associate?" Sasuke repeated. He shouted at Hiashi. "Was it Tobi?" Hiashi looked like a deer in the headlights. "ANSWER ME!"

"Yes," Hiashi answered immediately.

"My brother is on his way to see Tobi as we speak," Sasuke growled. "Neji doesn't have it in him to kill you. You're his uncle. But you're nothing to me. You don't know me very well, Hiashi, but I _have _killed people." _Well, at least one person, if Kyuubi could be considered a person._ "I will not hesitate to kill you if I think you're holding back information that could save my brother's life. Now tell me everything you know about Tobi."

"I-I don't know anything," Hiashi answered quickly. "He was appointed the CEO of Mangekyo Industries when your uncle retired."

"My uncle created Mangekyo Industries?" Sasuke asked. Hiashi nodded.

"It was a pharmaceutical company at first, testing out the Sharingan Project," Hiashi answered. "Your uncle needed financial backing, so he came to me. I gave him some money so he could do his testing, through Mangekyo Industries. When he retired, he put me in contact with Tobi, but I've never met him. I've only spoken to him on the phone. Twice."

"When was the last time you spoke to him?" Hiashi hesitated. "TELL ME NOW!" He fired a warning shot through the office window, and Hiashi jumped.

"A week ago," he said quickly.

"What did you two say?" Sasuke asked. "And God help you if you lie to me."

"I-I told him about Suigetsu blackmailing me. I told him he was a liability, as well as another associate who gave Suigetsu that information. Tobi told me he'd handle it."

"Devil," Neji whispered to himself.

"You have his phone number?" Sasuke asked. Hiashi nodded. "Where?"

"It's on a business card on my desk somewhere," Hiashi said quickly.

"Don't take your gun off him," Sasuke told Neji as he walked over to the desk and started looking through the papers.

"Not in a million years," Neji said, walking closer towards the door, keeping his gun trained on Hiashi. "How is Hinata? How Suigetsu?"

"The baby's fine," Sasuke said, still shuffling through papers. "She was going through some false labor, but that stopped."

"The baby—" Hiashi began, but Neji cut him off.

"Suigetsu?"

"Still in surgery when I left," Sasuke said, finding a business card with Tobi's name on it. "This is it." He was partly in awe.

"I thought the baby was gone," Hiashi said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I figured the least I could do to you was make you think you killed your own grandson," Neji said. "The pain couldn't last forever, but it was enough to satisfy me."

"He's okay," Hiashi whispered, closing his eyes.

"Shut up," Sasuke said, putting his gun back up on Hiashi. "I am about to call Tobi, and if you make a single noise, I will end you right here and now. Do you understand?"

Hiashi gave him a nod, so Sasuke picked up the office's landline and dialed Tobi's number. It rang a few times before a secretary picked up.

"Office of Tobi Tsukyomi," the bubbly secretary said. "May I ask who is calling?"

"Hyashi Hyuga," Sasuke said in a dark and dangerous voice.

"Give me one second," she said. She put him on hold for a couple of seconds before he heard the line pick up again.

"_What do you want, Hyuga?_" Sasuke dropped the phone in shock. The voice he heard on the other end was not one he'd thought he'd ever hear again. And a twisted part of him deep down had to laugh. _It seems death is not what it once was_.

"I have to go," Sasuke said, almost running out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Neji shouted after him.

"I need to stop Itachi from boarding that plane!"

**Author's Note: So Suigetsu was the one who was shot, and it looks like he'll live through it. We're at the climax of the story now. I can tell because it usually takes me months to write a chapter, and this one took me about five hours. It just flowed so easily. And in the next chapter, we get to see the last twist of the story! You know that means the story's almost done.**

**Two more chapters, and then an epilogue. That's all that's left (except for the sequel of course).**

**So anyway, please review. Let me know what you think about it! I really want to hear your opinions/theories/predictions. How will it all end? Let me know!**


	43. The Living Dead

**Disclaimer: I hope it goes without saying that I don't own any of these characters.**

**Author's Note: I'm going to apologize in advance. This is the penultimate chapter of the story, and things kind of reach a head here. The pacing is a bit off, and a lot happens here, so please forgive the fast speed of the chapter. Especially considering the last two chapters all took place over the course of a single night.**

Chapter Forty-Three: The Living Dead

Sasuke tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his suitcase to appear in the baggage claim. He didn't even want to bring a suitcase—he was just in New York to find Itachi and bring him back to Konoha before he did something stupid. But he knew he had to bring the gun, _just in case_, so he filled a suitcase with clothes and buried the gun inside.

After Sasuke had called Tobi from Hiashi's phone, that was the first place he'd gone—back to his place to pack. He checked in quickly with Neji before getting on the plane. Neji told him that after he'd fled the Hyuga mansion, he'd managed to make Hiashi submit. That was good for them—they didn't need Hiashi to worry about with everything else going on. There had been no change in Suigetsu, who had just been pulled out of surgery.

His phone buzzed more times than Sasuke could count when he turned it back on after the flight. He glanced briefly at who he'd missed calls from—Neji, Naruto, Sakura, and Mikoto. He had a few voicemails and more than a few texts, but he didn't bother to look at them.

He looked up at the baggage claim rotator and saw his bright-orange suitcase come around. He chose to borrow one of Naruto's, knowing he would be able to distinguish it from the usual black, blue, and brown colored suitcases after the flight. He grabbed it quickly and turned around, heading for the streets.

He pulled out his phone and redialed the last number he had dialed before leaving Konoha—Yamato, Itachi's PI. He needed to know where Itachi was staying, what Tobi's address was, and anything else that Yamato could tell him to help stop Itachi before he confronted the mob boss. He'd left a message all those hours ago, but it had been nighttime. It was now late enough in the morning that Yamato should have seen it.

The phone rang three times before a young-sounding woman answered the phone, Yamato's secretary.

"I need to talk to Yamato immediately," Sasuke said urgently into the phone. "Tell him it's an emergency."

"_May I ask who's calling?_" she asked him.

"Sasuke Uchiha," he answered. "Tell him I'm Itachi's brother."

"_One moment, please_." Sasuke didn't wait long at all before she was back. "_Here he is_."

"_Sasuke Uchiha?_" Yamato's deep voice came on the line.

"Yes, it's Itachi's brother," Sasuke replied. "I need to know everything told Itachi yesterday."

"_Itachi tells me you're a smart kid_," Yamato said. "_We both know I won't do that_."

"I'll pay you everything my brother is paying you and more," Sasuke promised. "You have to tell me what you told him. He's running into a very dangerous situation right now. You don't know what he's getting himself into."

"_It's none of my business_," Yamato answered. "_And I'm sorry, but I won't just sell out my clients to their family for money. That's a bad way to keep customers in my business_."

"Then I'll hire you," Sasuke said, angry that Yamato was being so difficult. "Like I said, I'll pay more than Itachi. I just need to know everything he knows about Tobi. It's a matter of life and death." There was silence on the other line for a moment. "Are you still there?" Sasuke exited the airport and made his way to the car rental area.

"_Yeah, I'm still here. I guess if you're both clients, then I could give you some information."_

"Good," Sasuke said with a sigh of relief. He stood on line to wait for a car while Yamato told him everything he could.

* * *

"I need to go up to see Mr. Tsukyomi," Itachi told the receptionist on the ground floor. He knew that the elusive CEO, who wasn't at his house when Itachi got to New York a few hours ago, would be a few floors up.

"Is he expecting you?" the girl asked in a so-Cal accent. She seemed unimpressed by Itachi's casual attire.

"No, but it is _urgent_ that I see him," Itachi told her.

"No one goes up to corporate without an appointment," she said, as if reciting from a staff manual. To accentuate her statement, she popped a rather large bubble of gum.

"Well, I'd like to make an appointment then," Itachi said. "As soon as possible."

"You can't just walk in here and make an appointment with him," she told him. "Does this look like a doctor's office?" Her sarcasm served only to infuriate him more.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill and placed it on the counter in front of her. "I _need_ to see Mr. Tsukyomi."

"A hundred dollars isn't worth my job, sir," she told him rather pointedly. "_Five_ hundred might make me have to go to the bathroom real quick, though." Itachi ground his teeth at her obvious extortion. He'd brought cash because he figured he'd have to bribe his way up to see Tobi. But he didn't figure he'd lose $500 in one hit.

He balled his right hand into a fist as his left hand fished through his wallet for his last four hundreds. He laid them down on top of the one that was already there. She looked around to see if no one was watching, as did Itachi. She put the bills in her pocketbook and then pressed a button.

"Security, we have an issue."

Itachi didn't even have time to get back at her for robbing him of $500. He bolted towards the employee elevators in the back. He could see two security guards in suits running towards him. He pressed the button rapidly, but the door opened too late—he already felt the hands on his shoulders as he was manhandled and dragged out the side towards a side exit.

The door was opened and he was shoved into an alley, before the door was promptly closed behind him. He banged on the door twice, and tried tugging on it, but it was no use. _I was such an idiot!_ He thought he could just walk in to the headquarters of a multimillion dollar corporation, and just walk up the stairs to see the CEO? He kicked a metal trashcan over in his anger, and garbage spilled out onto the ground.

"Fuck," he said, running his hand through his hair. What was his next move? He didn't have one. He had no plan B. Hell, he had no plan A. He'd have to hope that he could ambush Tobi in his house, but those chances were just as slim. First he'd need to be let into his apartment building, and then invited into his apartment.

Was this all for nothing?

He started to walk towards the side street, hoping to find a place to eat a nice meal and contemplate his options. _I can't go back to Konoha a failure. Not after I made such a big deal about this to Sasuke._ He was about to turn onto the street when he heard a high pitched yell from behind him in the alley.

"Hey rich guy!" He turned to see the receptionist waving him back from the door he had been shoved out of. "Do you want to see the boss or not?"

He thought it was too good to be true, but money must talk to some people. He ran back down the alley and stepped into the building.

"I thought—"

"Well now when you get up there, they won't blame me for letting you get past me," she said. "Right now I'm on my bathroom break. Anyway, you're going to want to go down that hallway." She pointed down the hall to Itachi's right. "You're gonna make a left, and walk down, past a few different hallways. Make a right and you should come upon elevators. They won't take you anywhere, you'd need a key. Pass the elevators and make another left. There will be a set of emergency stairs on your left. Take them up to the twenty-third floor."

"Twenty-three flights?" Itachi asked. His calves hurt just thinking about it.

"Do you want to see him or not?" she asked. "Anyway, when you get up there, there's gonna be a secretary who will probably stop you. Don't mention me. Once you get there, you're on your own."

"Understood," Itachi said with a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," she said. "Seriously." She went back the way she'd came, while Itachi took her directions.

He made a left, then a right, passed the elevators, and made another left. He opened the door to the stairs and began his twenty-three flight of stairs. He was panting after three. After ten, he considered going back down. After twelve, the thought occurred to him that he might need to walk _back down_ all these stairs. After sixteen, he'd decided he'd rather just jump out the window.

He had to take a break at twenty. He sat, head in his hands. If he couldn't even climb up the stairs to Tobi, how was he supposed to intimidate him?

It might have taken an hour by the time he actually reached the top. Then he had to stop and make sure he didn't look too sweaty. He sat back down on the first step on the twenty-fourth flight, hoping to catch his breath again. He couldn't be winded when he confronted Tobi.

When he finally caught his breath and felt good to go, he then paused to consider how he'd handle the secretary. He didn't want to make this whole thing a waste of time. He'd already given all his cash to the receptionist downstairs. He didn't think he'd need more than $500. But he couldn't bribe his way. He couldn't threaten his way in either. He had nothing.

He stepped out into the small hallway, and found himself right next to the elevator. Further down the hall was the only other door there—presumably the door to Tobi's office. He bit his lip in contemplation, when he saw the fire alarm. Without any other option, he pulled it. The alarm went off, and Itachi rushed to stand next to the door, on the other side from the elevator and stairs.

He heard some loud talking from inside the office, and a few moments later, the door opened. The secretary was the first out the door, followed by someone Itachi never thought he'd see again. He didn't let shock get the best of him. He surprised both the secretary and the man, who had obviously not seen him there. Itachi pushed him back into the office and slammed the door behind him, locking it. The secretary banged on the door, but Itachi wouldn't let her disturb this reunion.

"How are you alive?"

* * *

Sasuke held one hand on the gun in his waistband as the cab came up alongside the skyscraper. He quickly paid the cabbie and made his way into the building, towards the receptionist. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and found a photo of Itachi.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked in a not-so-helpful tone.

"Have you seen this man?" Sasuke asked, showing her the picture on his phone. From her expression, she'd definitely seen him.

"No," she said quickly.

"Are you sure?" asked Sasuke.

"Yes," she answered.

"Good," Sasuke said, more to himself than to her. Maybe he'd gotten here in time.

"Why is that good?" the girl asked.

"This man wants to see Tobi Tsukyomi, and if he does," Sasuke trailed off. "Well, it's not gonna be good." He turned to leave, but her words stopped him.

"Fuck, I'm so getting fired for this," she said, barely more than a mutter.

"For what?" Sasuke asked her. She looked around her for a moment before leaning in to Sasuke.

"I let him go upstairs almost an hour ago," she whispered.

_Fuck_, he thought.

"Fuck," he said.

"Is it that bad?" she asked.

"Did he come back down?"

"Not that I saw," she said. "He had to go up a ton of flights of stairs, so he probably hasn't been up there long."

"We need to get up there _fast_," he told her.

"I can't go up with you," she said. "But come on."

She led him through a few different hallways until they arrived at a set of elevators. She pulled out a key from her pocked and put it in a keyhole by the up button. She then pressed the button, and they waited.

"When the elevator comes down, you can take it up to the twenty-third floor," she told him. "I've probably been away from the desk for too long already, so I can't come with you. Please stop whatever is going on here, and don't let my boss know I was involved at all."

"I promise," Sasuke told her. She walked back to where she came from, and the elevator dinged moments later. He stepped inside and pressed the '23' button.

The elevator began to rise, but after passing the eighteenth floor, the elevator shook and came to a stop as alarms went off. The elevator brought him back down to the eighteenth floor and let him out.

There were people rushing from offices to get to a stairwell. An alarm was going off, obviously a fire alarm.

He followed the crowd into the stairwell, but where most went down, he went up. He passed a few people who tried to stop him, but he knew that he had to get up to Itachi. Hopefully he'd find his brother coming down the stairs, and he could convince Itachi to put this whole thing behind him.

By the time he reached the twenty-third floor, he realized that Itachi wasn't coming back down.

He gripped the gun in his waistband and pulled it out. What he was about to do was probably pretty stupid, but no stupider than running up the stairs while the fire alarm was going off. He took the safety on the gun, just in case, and cocked it. When dealing with Madara, he couldn't take any chances.

It was lucky that he hadn't. He found his uncle with his brother and two bodyguards, one holding Itachi in some wrestling hold that prevented him from moving, and the other, whose back was towards the door, had a gun against his brother. Madara was just talking.

"The family is very much in tact, Itachi, you shouldn't be so simplistic with your accusations," his uncle was saying. "I did what I had to do, not just for the family, but for our legacy. This organization has been the legacy of our family for generations."

"Let him go, _Tobi_," Sasuke said, pressing his gun to the back of the armed thug.

"What are you doing here?" Itachi spit out, infuriated.

"Sasuke, what a surprise," Madara said with mock-respect. "I guess it's a family reunion after all. I trust you left your mother at home, though."

"Don't talk about our mother," Itachi yelled. "After what you did."

Madara ignored Itachi, however. "Itachi was just regaling me with tales of all the horrors I've caused." He turned back to Sasuke's brother. "He isn't nearly as much of a drunken mess you made him out to be."

"I said _let him go_," Sasuke warned. "I'm not afraid to shoot."

"Yes you are," Madara said, uncrossing his arms and standing up straighter. "I'm a wealthy businessman, and you two are tresspassers who are now guilty of what I could spin to be armed robbery. Thanks to your brother, the fire department is already at the base of the building. I'm the only hope you two have if you don't want to spend the rest of your lives behind bars at this point."

Sasuke knew his uncle had them. Itachi was too quick to take action, not knowing what he was getting into. And Sasuke was too quick to jump into the jaws of the lion, not caring to come up with a plan. And now, their drastic actions fucked them over beyond all belief.

"You seem to be a bit less surprised to see me, Sasuke," Madara observed. "How long have you known?"

"Only a few hours," Sasuke answered. "I heard your voice when I called from Hiashi's office."

"Ah, Hiashi," Madara said thoughtfully. "I guess this brings us back to our issue. Itachi was getting very emotional about a certain young man who put himself in a very unfortunate situation."

"_You_ put Suigetsu in that situation," Sasuke yelled. "You tried to have him killed."

"It was necessary," Madara answered. "Your friend was meddling into business he shouldn't have meddled in. And his business partner—the one who was in bed with Suigetsu from the start—was getting to close to finding out who I am. He's already taken care of, though, so we don't need to worry about that."

"There is no we!" Sasuke yelled.

"Not yet, I don't expect you to forgive me overnight," Madara acknowledged. "I understand your anger, I even planned for it. But that too shall pass, and then I'll begin training you—both of you—to carry on the family legacy after I'm gone."

"You have to be on some serious shit if you think either of us are going to ever have any involvement in this," Itachi said. "After what you did. With Mother, with Suigetsu. Hell, you faked your own death! We'll never forgive you."

"You blame me for keeping your mother from you, but you don't acknowledge that she'd be dead if I hadn't intervened!" Madara yelled, the first sign of anger Sasuke had seen from his uncle. "I couldn't save my brother or the baby, but I saved her, and I saved her for you. All of this has been for you two, don't you see?

"Our family has been involved in this business for generations."

"A technology conglomerate?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.

"The business of fear," Madara answered back. "The actual economics are ever-changing, but the premise is the same. We adapt, and we control. And then we pass it on to the next generation. I saved your mother, I saved our legacy, and I saved you two."

"You've done no such thing," Sasuke said.

"Why do you think I faked my death?" Madara asked. "You both have no idea what has been going on for over a decade, because I've kept you ignorant. You think I left the family business after your parents' accident? I didn't. I adapted. And then it started to become clear that I would have to adapt again.

"The reason your parents were in their accident to begin with was because they were collateral damage, killed by my enemies to get to me. My brother and my nephew, both killed. And it was beginning to get dangerous again, so I killed myself to put distance between us. My enemies wouldn't kill you if Madara Uchiha was gone. So I killed him, and became Tobi Tsukyomi, a man with a forged past, but no loved ones. No collateral damage. You're welcome."

Sasuke tried to retort, but found himself locked in a chokehold. He was so engrossed in his uncle's story that he hadn't noticed the thug he'd been holding at gunpoint had started to move, and by the time Sasuke realized what was happening, it was too late. The gun fell to his feet.

Madara slowly walked over to the gun at Sasuke's feet, and the sound of the fire alarm started to overwhelm him. Madara bent down and picked up the gun, and held it to Sasuke's forehead.

"If you two really think I'm such a monster, then maybe I should do it, get rid of you two," his uncle said. "They're ultimate liabilities, are they not, Tobirama?" he was talking to the man holding Sasuke. He pressed the gun further to Sasuke's temple before pulling it away.

"Let them go," Madara commanded his thugs. Sasuke and Itachi were both released, and fell to the ground. "Leave us." They both left the office, closing the door behind them. Madara cocked his head at Sasuke. "You have a lot of spirit," he said. "I've always been impressed by you, Sasuke." He threw the gun at Sasuke's feet. "If you're going to kill me, do it."

Sasuke picked up the gun and got to his feet. He held it in front of him, pointing it at Madara in point blank range.

"Don't do it, Sasuke," Itachi told him. "Don't let Madara take your life away."

"He deserves to die," Sasuke told his brother. "Think of all he's done."

"He deserves to die," Itachi agreed. "But you deserve to live _more_. We can still get out of this, go back to Konoha, back to Mother and Naruto and everyone. We can forget about him or tell the FBI. At the very least, faking his own death is a crime. Let him rot in prison."

Slowly, Sasuke lowered the gun again.

"We're not going to tell the FBI anything," Sasuke announced to both his brother and his uncle. "Not if Suigetsu lives. If Suigetsu makes it through this, he gets to live," he told his uncle. "You will let him live, and we will keep this secret—from everyone. And we will make sure that he doesn't investigate further. It ends here."

"I agree to your terms," Madara said with a slight bow of the head. "You're a good negotiator, Sasuke. But you're wrong. It doesn't end here. This is just the beginning."

* * *

When the plane landed in Konoha, Sasuke turned his phone on to find even more messages. He regretted not checking them in New York, but he had much more to attend to.

He had eight voicemails—two from Neji, one from Sakura, one from Gaara, one from Kakashi, and three from Mikoto. He had thirteen missed calls—from those five, as well as from Naruto and Hinata. He had more missed texts than he could count.

Sakura and Gaara were both concerned, but they didn't say anything about Suigetsu. Mikoto was flipping out, as Sasuke expected, and Kakashi's was a courtesy to Mikoto, who thought Sasuke was just screening her calls. It was Neji's voicemail that was interesting. "He's awake." That was all he said, and it was more than enough.

"Good news?" Itachi asked.

"Suigetsu's awake," he said with a smile. "I guess he's gonna be okay."

"What else? You look like someone ran over your puppy."

"Naruto called. Once. Didn't he care that I was gone? He didn't even know I was going anywhere!"

"I'm sure he has a reason," Itachi told him. "Don't jump to conclusions, especially with all the shit that's been going on. Go find Naruto, talk with him, and I'll meet you at the hospital."

"Where are you going?" asked Sasuke.

"First, I'm gonna bring that gun back to Mangekyo, where it _should have stayed_," Itachi said pointedly. "And then I'm going to find Kakashi and Mother."

"What are you gonna tell them?" Sasuke asked.

"That it was a dead end," Itachi said with a shrug. "We said we weren't going to tell anyone. That's the price we'll pay to make sure no one ends up in a bed next to Suigetsu."

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed.

"And that means you too. No telling Naruto, or Gaara. And especially not Neji or Suigetsu."

"I know," Sasuke said. "But Neji and Suigetsu are at the center of it with us," he said after a moment.

"If Madara finds out they know, then our deal is over," Itachi reminded him. "Sometimes, keeping a secret is the only noble thing to do. Now go find your boyfriend."

Naruto didn't answer Sasuke's "where are you" text, but he found out from Neji—whom he assured he would fill in later—that Naruto was back at the dorm. It just happened to work out that the university was on the way to the hospital, so Sasuke wouldn't be going out of his way, stopping there first.

He spent the entire drive to the dorms wondering what he would tell Neji and Suigetsu when the moment came. He had—luckily—not stopped to tell Neji that it was Madara's voice on the phone. But he had to come up with a convincing enough lie that would make Neji and Suigetsu drop it without looking for justice.

He was no closer to the answer when he pulled up in front of the dorm. With a heavy sigh, he got out of his car. He was almost resigned to the fact that he and Naruto were going to fight. Along the same lines of when Naruto hadn't responded to Sasuke last week in Uzushio.

What he didn't expect was for Naruto to throw himself at Sasuke the second he was in the door.

"Sasuke!" he yelped. "Where have you been?"

"You didn't sound so concerned on your voicemail," Sasuke said with a bitter tone to his voice.

"What voicemail?"

"Exactly." Naruto stepped back and gave Sasuke a glare.

"You put me on blast a couple of days ago for not calling you while I was out of town," Naruto said with an angry tone. "And now you're angry because you vanished without telling me for a whole twenty-four hours, and when I called you worried, I didn't leave a voicemail? God, you're such a dick Sasuke."

"I had important shit to take care of," Sasuke said, starting to walk towards the closet near Naruto's desk.

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked panickedly, standing in front of Sasuke.

"If you haven't noticed, I have a suitcase to put away." Naruto's eyes finally went to the orange suitcase in Sasuke's hands.

"You took my suitcase?" Naruto asked. "Where _were_ you?"

"New York, now will you get out of my way so I can put this away?" Naruto stepped in front of his computer to let Sasuke by. Sasuke dumped the clothes out on the floor—he'd take care of them later—and turned around to see Naruto doing something frantically on the computer.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked as the browser closed.

"Nothing," Naruto said quickly. Warning bells went off in Sasuke's head, but he knew he shouldn't let Naruto know he was suspicious.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you, you're right," Sasuke told his boyfriend. "I've just had a rough couple of hours."

"What were you taking care of in New York?" Naruto asked. Sasuke walked over to his bed and flopped down.

"I had to stop Itachi from doing something stupid to the CEO of the company that did all those experiments on my mom," Sasuke answered.

"Did you? Stop him, I mean?" Naruto asked, sitting next to Sasuke on the bed.

"Yeah," Sasuke lied. The room was quiet for a moment. "Do you think he did a good thing?" he asked Naruto. "It was illegal human experimentation, but it saved her life."

"I think it's a good thing that it happened," Naruto said quietly. "But I don't know that what he did was a good thing. He didn't know how it would turn out. If you have the evidence, you should tell the police about him."

"Hashirama Senju was released, all charges dropped," Sasuke said. "If they couldn't prosecute him, they won't prosecute the CEO with the money to fund it."

"That's not justice," Naruto said.

"No," whispered Sasuke, thinking of his uncle. He was sitting in an office in New York City, conducting business. _Fear is his business._ "It's not." They sat in silence for a few more minutes. "Hey Naruto, think you could get me a Sprite from the vending machine?"

"Sure," Naruto said, standing up.

"And after, I want to go to the hospital," Sasuke said. "I want to see Suigetsu."

"Sure," Naruto said again, grabbing his wallet. "Give me a couple of minutes."

"Of course."

As soon as Naruto was out the door, Sasuke sat down at Naruto's desk and opened his laptop. He entered Naruto's password—he'd figured that one out before they'd even got together, back when they were just roommates—and pulled up Chrome.

The first page in the history, the last closed page, made Sasuke's heart drop.

"What are you doing?" Naruto yelled from the door. He dropped the can of Sprite on the floor and it rolled towards Sasuke.

"What am _I _doing?" Sasuke asked angrily. "What are _you_ doing? 'Submit your deposit to Uzushio University'? What the fuck, Naruto."

"See, this is why I didn't want to tell you," Naruto said, throwing his hands in the air. "I knew you'd overreact."

"_Overreact_?" Sasuke asked. "You're planning on transferring to Uzushio, and you don't even _discuss_ it with me? How long has this been going on?"

"I applied when I found out my grandfather lived there," Naruto answered, looking down at his feet. "I didn't get the acceptance until last week. I was there while I visited my grandfather, and it's a really great campus. I tried to tell you the day I got back, but you jumped down my throat for not calling more often, and then everything with Suigetsu happened."

"How can you leave Konoha? Your friends are all here! _I'm_ here!"

"Uzushio has a much better psychology program than Konoha, and they have a med school. If I get good grades, I'm almost guaranteed to get in. This is a really big deal for me. I can still be friends with everyone even though I'm a few miles away."

"More than a few miles, Naruto," Sasuke said, grasping for straws. Naruto sounded like his mind was made up, but it couldn't be. How could he do this? "It's a whole eight hours drive. And what about me, Naruto? You can't just make decisions like this without talking to your boyfriend."

"I told you that I wanted to tell you before. But there's a deadline for deposits, so I had to submit it. Maybe if you didn't disappear without a word to anyone, then I would have had time to talk this out with you."

"Do you even love me?" Sasuke asked. "You sure don't act like that."

"Don't say that, Sasuke, you know I love you," Naruto said. "I know this isn't the best situation, but it's the situation now. People make it work long-distance all the time. Who knows, it might even make things better for us."

"What do you mean, 'better for us', that we should see each other less? If last week was a preview of the next three years, I don't think that's gonna be good for us at all."

"It won't, I'll be calling all the time," Naruto promised. "But as it is right now, I think we need a little more independence from each other. I know I haven't been the best boyfriend since I went to Uzushio, but for you to be so insecure about our relationship because we didn't talk every day for a week is probably not a good sign. You actually asked me if I want to break up with you."

"I'm still wondering," Sasuke asked. "You don't really sound like you're as invested in this relationship as I am."

"Sasuke—"

"You never were," Sasuke said, stepping back. He started to wonder if it had been like this the whole time. "You weren't sure about this from the beginning. I was the one chasing you. You were the one with the girlfriend."

"Now you're being ridiculous, Sasuke."

"I can't do this right now," Sasuke said, shaking his head. He turned and ran out of the room.

"I'm not innocent here, but you're overreacting," Naruto's voice followed him.

And Sasuke knew he might be overreacting a little, but it was hard to be rational when he was feeling so emotional. He ran down the steps and found himself behind the wheel of his car, speeding down the highway.

Naruto couldn't leave! It was so out of the blue. He'd never even talked to Sasuke about it, and now he'd already put in a deposit. That was it, right?

So maybe Sasuke was a little overly-dependent recently, Naruto could have had a valid point there. With his family situation imploding, Naruto was the one solid thing he had in his life to keep him grounded—and now Naruto wasn't going to be there anymore.

He tried to think of next year, not having Naruto. He couldn't even picture it. Naruto was such a huge part of his life. And he was under the impression that they could have a long-distance relationship, but Sasuke knew that could never happen. He could never content himself with video chats and phone calls and the odd visit every month or so. He needed more.

He wasn't the bad guy here! Naruto was! Naruto was the one who was fucking everything up! Sasuke was feeling alone enough already, and now there was this.

He still had a few more exits before the hospital, but he pulled off three exits early and found himself navigating the back streets to his bar. Itachi's car was nowhere to be seen, so he must have already been at the mansion or the hospital. Sasuke parked right in front of the bar and contemplated his next move.

His knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel. He pulled his hands free from it, and found them shaking. Maybe he just needed something to calm his nerves?

No, he wouldn't destroy this. He still had too much to do to let himself go.

But he felt it coming. After seeing Neji and Suigetsu, after finally letting Naruto break up with him once and for all, nothing would keep Sasuke from drinking. And to be honest, he was looking forward to losing control.

He didn't want it anymore. He'd give anything at this point to just be able to leave Konoha forever. All the drama, all the angst, all the baggage. He wanted to leave it all behind, and start a new life in the middle of nowhere as the town drunk.

He started to sob, and then the tears came. How fucked up was it that he was so resigned to throwing away his sobriety. He looked at the outside of the bar, and he could feel the booze calling. It was palpable. It was a need. And it would make him feel so much better. Sasuke could almost feel the alcohol on his tongue. He could almost taste the bourbon burning his throat.

His frantically pulled out his cell phone and thumbed through his address book. He found the right name and pressed call. And a few moments later: "You've reached the office of Masashi Kishimoto, M.D., at the offices of Konoha Mental Hospital. I am out right now. If this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 9-1-1. If this is not an emergency—"

Sasuke hung up, and thought about it. It was an emergency to him, but the police probably wouldn't see it that way. He thumbed through the address book until he found another name. The only other name he could think of calling. He picked up on the third dial.

"Sasuke?"

"Gaara?" Sasuke could hear how pathetic his own voice was, and he wondered what Gaara would think of him.

"Sasuke? Are you okay?"

"N-No," Sasuke said. His whole body was shaking now, and the tears were flowing through. "I'm sitting outside Mangekyo. I—" He took a deep breath. "I really want a drink."

"Are you with anyone?" Gaara asked.

Sasuke shoot his head, not that Gaara could see. "No."

"I'm at the hospital," Gaara told him. "Drive over here, and text me when you get here. I'll come down to the parking lot."

Sasuke knew he probably shouldn't be driving like this, having a full-fledged panic attack and sobbing almost uncontrollably. The last time this happened to him, it was right after Madara's "suicide". Isn't it ironic that Madara contributed to this one as well?

He didn't remember getting to the hospital, and he didn't remember texting Gaara, but he finally seemed to register his surroundings when Gaara hugged him from the passenger's seat of the car.

"I've never seen you like this, Sasuke," Gaara said. "What happened?"

And Sasuke didn't mean to tell him, but he told him everything. Everything from his feelings about his mother to his problems with Naruto, to everything with Madara. He knew he shouldn't divulge any of that last bit, but it all fell out of his mouth unbidden.

And when he was done, he didn't feel any better.

"Y-You can't tell anyone about Madara," Sasuke told Gaara. "He'll kill Suigetsu if he knows I told. And especially don't tell Itachi. He'll kill _me_."

"I'm not telling anyone, as long as you manage to pull yourself together," Gaara told him. "You're better than this, Sasuke. You're falling apart, and for what? Because you're afraid you and Naruto are going to break up? From what you said, he doesn't even want to break up with you and you're like this. I don't even want to think what you'd be like if he actually _wanted_ to end things."

"He's going halfway across the country," Sasuke said. "Even if he doesn't want to break up, it's going to happen."

"Uzushio isn't halfway across the country, not even close," Gaara said. "Now you're just being ridiculous."

"It's just too much," Sasuke admitted. The panic was starting to ebb, but it was being replaced with something worse: a resigned depression. "I don't think I can handle this. I'm _not _better than this. All I want to do is find a nice, quiet bar and drink myself to sleep."

"No more talking about drinking," Gaara told him. He reached over, turned off the car, and put Sasuke's keys in his pocket. "You're not going to a bar on my watch."

"What else is there for me to do?" Sasuke asked. "I feel like I'm losing everything."

"You're not losing everything," Gaara promised him. "You still have me, and Neji, and Suigetsu, and Sakura. You've still got Hinata, and your godson, you've got your mother and your brother and Kaksahi. Hell, Ino, Shikamaru, and even Kiba consider you a good friend. You have more than a lot of people. You just need to pull yourself together."

Sasuke started to wipe his cheeks and eyes with his shirt sleeves.

"We're going to go upstairs, now," Gaara told him. "Itachi and Neji are both up there, and Hinata and Suigetsu are in the same room. I know they'll want to see you. So pull yourself together."

His cheeks were dry, but it wouldn't take a detective to realize he'd been crying. Still, he let Gaara lead him up to the hospital.

Itachi and Neji were nowhere to be seen, so Sasuke walked into the hospital room that Suigetsu and Hinata were sharing. He found Suigetsu sitting in a wheelchair next to Hinata's bed. Her belly was exposed, with a goo spread all over as a doctor sat moving a wand around it. And next to the doctor was a machine, and Sasuke could see his godson on the machine.

"Sasuke," Hinata was the first to notice him. Suigetsu looked over so quick that he could have gotten whiplash.

"There you are!" he said. "I've been waiting hours for you to show up. Where have you been?"

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Sasuke said, stepping back. He didn't realize they were having a sonogram at the moment.

"No you can stay," Hinata said. "Dr. Yamamoto was just checking to see if the baby is still doing okay. Come here, you can even hear the heartbeat."

With the invitation, Sasuke stepped further inside, and he let himself listen to the heartbeat. It was beautiful, and for a brief moment, Sasuke forgot about booze, and Madara, and Naruto. And then he thought about whether he'd want a kid of his own. And that train of thought led back to Naruto again. He was sick in love.

"It's amazing," Suigetsu said. His smile was as wide as Sasuke had ever seen. "We _made_ that. God, I hope he looks like your side of the family."

"He is amazing, isn't he?" Hinata asked. "Hariko," she said. "Hachabi."

"What are you doing?" Suigestu asked.

"Coming up with a name," she answered. "Haroshi," she said.

"I like Haroshi," Suigetsu said.

"Then it's settled," she said, putting her hands on her stomach. "You have such a beautiful heartbeat, Haroshi."

"Marry me."

Hinata was obviously as stunned as Sasuke was at the unanticipated proposal. She looked at Suigetsu and then to Sasuke, with a bit of panic in her eyes.

"I think I'll leave you two alone," the doctor said, standing up.

"I'm right behind you," Sasuke said. When he got out, he found Gaara talking to Itachi. As soon as they noticed Sasuke, they stopped talking.

"You look like shit," Itachi commented.

"You don't look much better," Sasuke said. Itachi had a frown, and he seemed to be a lot more serious than he thought he'd be. He looked at Gaara. _Did he tell Itachi that I told him?_ "What's wrong?"

"Hiashi Hyuga's dead."

Sasuke barely had time to comprehend what he said before the door opened and Suigetsu wheeled himself into the hallway. "She said yes!"

* * *

It was left for Suigetsu to tell his new fiancé about her father's death. Sasuke went down to the ER waiting room where he and all his friends had spent hours sitting vigil for Suigetsu just a night ago. There was no vigil now, only a queer mourning.

"He was my uncle," Neji told him. He wouldn't even look at Sasuke. "He was an asshole, and I might have killed me yesterday, but he's still my uncle." He was shaking, not unlike the way Sasuke had been shaking in his car before his panic attack. "I should have made up with him, I shouldn't have let him die like that."

Sasuke left the comforting to Gaara and Sakura, who had shown up only a few minutes after Sasuke had told her the news. He couldn't sit there listening to Neji talk about his uncle. He kept thinking of Madara. _If he died tomorrow, would I feel like Neji?_ He wanted to think he wouldn't, but he wasn't sure.

"It was Madara," Itachi told Sasuke when he found his brother. "He still had one loose end besides Suigetsu, and he took care of it."

"Who was the guy Madara was talking about—Suigetsu's 'partner-in-crime'?" Sasuke asked.

"I found an obituary," Itachi said "Mogiko Tsugi, of Tsugi Tech. Hiashi orchestrated a hostile takeover, but it fell through at the last minute. I guess he was the one that gave Suigetsu the information to connect Hyuga to the Sharingan Project."

"How'd he die?" Sasuke asked.

"Official cause of death is heart attack," Itachi answered. "Poison is more likely. But does it really matter?"

"I guess not," Sasuke answered.

"Gaara told me you were having a rough time earlier," Itachi told his brother.

"Gaara should learn to keep his mouth shut," Sasuke muttered.

"He cares about you, and so do I," said Itachi. "Please see Dr. Kishimoto as soon as you can. I don't like to hear you talk about drinking that way."

"I need to leave," Sasuke said suddenly.

"I'm not going to lecture you like Mother, if that's what you're worried about," Itachi told him.

"Not the hospital. I need to leave Konoha." Very rarely had Sasuke seen Itachi stunned, but now was one of those moments. "Naruto is going to Uzushio for school."

"And you're going with him?" Itachi guessed.

"No," Sasuke said, feeling a piece of him break inside. "I need to get away from it. All of it. There's too much going on here. I'll never be able to just be happy. There's always something."

"You're a drama magnet."

"Konoha's a drama magnet," Sasuke argued. "If I stay here, I give it a month, maybe more, before I can't stop myself from drinking."

"You can always stop yourself," Itachi said.

"I'm not that strong," Sasuke argued. And with every little drama, what little strength I have keeps chipping away. I need a break from it. All of it. I just need to get away from Konoha."

"Do you know where you want to go?" Itachi asked. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders. "How about Japan? We still have a cousin who lives there. I could give you his number."

"Sure," Sasuke said. "Japan could be a nice change of scenery."

"I'll get you Shisui's number when we get back to the mansion," Itachi said. "Unless you're gonna go back to the dorm?"

"No," Sasuke said. "I'm not."

**Author's Note: So we have the final twist/reveal of the series: Madara is alive. I hope this doesn't seem like it came out of complete left field, because it's been the plan since I first killed him off all those many chapters ago.**

**We had a lot of stuff in this chapter, and it's all building towards next chapter, which will be the LAST CHAPTER. And then of course an epilogue afterwards.**

**Thanks for reading. PLEASE review and tell me how you feel. Tell me what you liked or what you didn't like! I can't wait to get the next chapter to you.**


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